LIBRARY OF CONGRESS. 



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UNITED STATES OF AMERICA. 



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THOUGHTS 



F 11 o :m t h e 



INNER LIFE. 



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'* There is no death. What seems so is transition 

This life of mortal breath 
Is but a suburb of the life elysian, 

Whose portal we call death." 

Longfelloiv. 





BOSTON: 

COLBY & RICH, PUBLISHERS, 

Corner Bosworth and Province Sts. 

1886. 



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Copyrighted, 1886, by D. E. Bailey. 



r-*-'«'V2^-< 



PEDICATION. 



To MR. FOX, 

Our loving teacher, to ivhom we owe so much, we dedicate this vol- 
ume as a tribute. 









CONTENTS. 



PABT L 

iNTKODCrCTION, ..... 

CiKCLK I.— The Spirit-World, 

CiKCLE II. — Splieres in tlie Spirit-World, 

CiHCLE III.— Spirit Life and Thought, . 

CiHCLE IV. — True Happiness, 

Circle V. — Soul-Yearning, 

Circle VI.— Eva's Spirit- Home, . 

CincLK VII. — Wisdom and Knowledge, 

Circle VIII. — Spiritual Joy and Sadness, 

Circle IX.— The Tyrant, 

Circle X. — A Fair and Beautiful Girl, . 

Circle XI. — Eva's Story, 

CiiJCLE XII. — Formation of Worlds, 

Circle XIII. — Visiting Planets, . 

CiiscLE XIV.— Infinity of Worlds, . 

Circle XV. — The City of Harmony, 

Circle XVI. — Sensations of Dying, 

Circle XVII.— Sister Sally, . 

Circle XVIII.— Christ as a Teacher, . 

CiiJCLE XIX. — Materialization, 

Circle XX.— Spiritual and Physical Laws, 

Circle XXL— The Seeds of Truth, 

Circle XXII. — Spiritual Poverty, . 

CutCLE XX 1 1 1. —Why Spirits Return, . 

Circle XXIV.— The Magnetic Fluid, . 

Circle XXV. — Tlie Fragrance of a Loving Heart 

Circle XXVI. — Heaven is Where the Loved Are, 

Circle XXVIL— The Power of Unselfishness, . 



Page 
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46 

50 

55 

56 

51) 

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71 

76 

78 

83 

85 

87 

92 

96 

98 

100 

103 

105 

107 

110 

112 



CONTENTS. O 

CiHCLE XXVIII.— There is No Death, . . . .115 
CiKCLE XXIX.— The Mountain of Experience, . . 117 
Circle XXX. — No Delined Separation, . . .119 

Circle XXXL— We Reap What We Sow, . . .121 

Circle XXXII.— Broken Crumbs, 123 

Circle XXXIII.— Soul-Growth, 124 

Circle XXXIV.— The Torch of Immortality, . . 126 
Circle XXXV.— Death Claims Only the Body, . . 127 
Circle XXXVI.— A Spirit-Sanitarium, . . .128 

Circle XXXVIL— Why tlie Future is Not Disclosed, . 134 
Circle XXX VI 1 1.— Eternal Unfoldmeut, . . .136 
Circle XXXIX.— There is Notliing New, . . .138 
Circle XL.— The Spirit- World and Life Real, . . 140 
Circle XLI. — Spiritualism is a Child Yet, . . .142 

Circle XLII.— All May Return, 144 

Circle XLIII. — An Impenetrable Cloud, . . . 147 
Circle XLIV. — Our Spirit-Homes Lil<;e Ourselves, . 148 
Circle XLV. — When the Mists Have Rolled Away, . 151 
Circle XLVI.— The Bow of Hope, . . . .153 
Circle XLVII.— No Personal God, . . .' . 154 
Circle XLVIII. — A Court of Justice in Every Soul, . 156 
Circle XLIX.— Progress a Law of Life, . . .157 
Circle L. — Subtlety of Spirit Laws, .... 159 

Circle LI. — Spirit-Mediums, 162 

Ciu'CLE LII. — Laws of Mind and Matter, . . . 164 

Circle LII I.— The Valley of Sin, 165 

Circle LIV^. — Evidences of God's Wisdom, . . .168 
Circle LV. — Love Opens the Door of the Inner Life, . 169 
Circle LVI — Human Liberty and Advancement, . 170 
Circle LVI I. — Possibilities of the Human Race, . .172 
Circle LVIII. — Avoid Wrong, . . . . . 174 
Circle LIX. — Be True Spiritualists, .... 175 
Circle LX. — Nature the Living Word of God, . . 177 
Circle LXL — Visits to Celestial Cities, . . .179 
Circle LXII. — Unseen Relations of Life, . . . 189 
Circle LXIIL— The Shuttle of Force, . . . .191 
Circle LXIV. — Matter is Death. Spirit is Life, . . 193 
Circle LXV. — Eva, The Teacher, 195 



b CONTENTS. 

PABT 11. 

Page 
Circle T.— When I First Passed Out of the Body, . 199 
CiHCLE II.— Not for Worlds Would I Return, . . 200 
Circle III. — Among Spirit- Friends, .... 201 
Circle IV.— I Lost My Body to Find My Soul, . . 202 
CiKCLK V. — Fear and Terror of Death, .... 203 
Chicle VI. — Kindred Not Always Together in Spirit- 
Life, 204 

Circle VII.— Strength to Investigate and Advance, . 205 

Circle VIII.— This Life is Full of Promise, . . 206 

Circle IX. — Protected by Tender Spirit-Friends, . 207 

Circle X. — Soul-Blossoms, 208 

Circle XI. — Love of Spirit-Friends, .... 209 

Circle XII. — All is Peace and Happiness, . . . 210 

Circle XIII.— Proof of Identity, 211 

Circle XIV. — Self-Examination Each Day, . . . 212 
Circle XV. — Much that is Beautiful, . . . .213 

Circle XVI.— The Two Worlds are Closely Allied, . 2i4 

Circle XVII. — " Onward and Upward," . . . 215 

Circle XVIII.— Would that I Could Lift the Veil, . 216 

Circle XIX. — Ministrations of Love, .... 217 

Circle XX. — Groves of Meditation, .... 219 

Circle XXI. — " Pray Without Ceasing," . . . 221 

Circle XXII. —Cultivate Cheerfulness, . . . 222 

Circle XXIIL— Life Without Immortality Worthless, 223 



«--*-*^/Z^I 




PART I 




INTRODUCTION, 



^STN order to give the reader a full understanding 
CNo) of the manner in which the following commu- 
nications were obtained, it seems necessary t;o give 
a brief outline of my personal experience. 

About eight years ago I met an old friend, 
Robert Mills, who inquired if I had any engage- 
ment for the evening of that day. I answered : 
"No." ''Then," said he, "I want you to accom- 
pany me to see Mrs. Swain. You have seen her 
before, but we are now getting something new. 
We are hearing independent voices. The spirits 
come and speak for themselves." I went. There 
were, I think, eight of us present, besides the 
medium. We sat in a line, and she in a chair 
placed in front of and very near to us. The room 
was made perfectly dark. We soon had very strong 
physical manifestations, — such as floating a heavy 
music-box around the room, hands touching, and 



10 INTRODUCTION. 

the like. This kind of manifestations I had wit- 
nessed before, and while I was forced to acknowl- 
edge some unseen power or force, also intelligence, 
I did not see (beyond satisfying curiosity) any 
benefit to be derived from it. 

At last a voice was heard, — not like the medi- 
um's, — and, I must confess, I listened to it with a 
great deal of suspicion. In fact, I thought it pos- 
sible for the medium to do this ; however, I deter- 
mined to say nothing, but to follow it up until I 
should hnoiv positivel}^ of its truth or falsity, I 
joined the circle, and we sat regularly once or 
twice a week. Little by little my doubts were 
cleared away, and my belief in its truth estab- 
lished. After becoming thoroughly convinced of 
the truth of spirit communion, 1 invited Mrs, 
Swain to arrange for regular sittings once or twice 
a week at my house. This we have 'done without 
intermission — except on account of unavoidable 
absence or sickness — every year, month, and 
week, each sitting becoming more interesting and 
instructive. The following lessons are only a very 
few of the many good things which we have 
received. I offer them to the public, hoping that 
some poor, suffering, sorrowing soul may find hope 
and consolation. 




INTRODUCTION. 11 

In our sittings the medium does not become 
unconscious ; but we sit and chat on different sub- 
jects until our spirit friends begin. Tiien we talk 
with them the same as with mortals, — sometimes 
as many as twenty-five different ones coming to us 
in one evening. Our communications having been 
given in the dark, and as in ordinary conversation, 
it did not, for a long time, occur to us that we 
could preserve them ; and we used often to regret 
our inability to do so, until at last the idea occurred 
to us to ask our spirit friends to assist us by speak- 
ing in short sentences, which they did, and which 
I transcribed at first with some difficulty. These 
notes were not intended for publication ; but, after 
having them copied, we decided to place them 
before the public. 

This blessed privilege of communing with our 
dear and only daughter is beyond our power to 
express. Our realization of her presence is just as 
palpable to us as though she were in the form, and 
we consult her on all subjects the same as though 
she were visible to our mortal e3^es. She is not 
lost to us, but ""only waiting," and our hopes of 
meeting our dear child, and other friends, have 
become knowledge. Many old friends, long since 
passed away, and who, in some cases, have been 



12 INTRODUCTION. 

long out of mind, came with a glad greeting. One 
point has been of great interest to us : the growth 
of children in knowledge, and the growth and im- 
provement of those who first came with but little 
earth education. 

I might, were it expedient, fill a book with 
descriptions of our wonderful experiences, but that 
is not the object in view. My only wish is to place 
these communications before the reader with as 
little comment as it is possible to give them a 
thorough understanding. ^c5^ 

J). E. Bailey. 

Buffalo, N.Y. 



^ 



CIRCLE I. 



[Note. — Our usual circle consisted of Mrs. M. A. Swain, 
as medium, Mrs. Fisher, her son Leander Fisher, my wife, 
and mj^self. Others have been present at times, but the 
above-named constituted our regular members. 

The following communication is from our daughter Eva, 
who passed away at the age of nineteen years. The larger 
part of the contents of this work have been given by her. — 
D. E. Bailey.] 

THE SPIEIT-WORLD. 



HEN one who has no conception of spirit 
'k^^^ life awakes from the sleep of death, and 
opens his eyes to the wonders of soul-land, strange 
and marvelous sensations pass over him. 

But, while he thus stands on the confines of the 
two worlds, there come to him, drawn by affection- 
ate love or duty, spirits who take charge of this 
new-born soul, soothing and magnetizing it, until 
the shock of separation from the loved ones of 
earth has somewhat subsided, then they point to 
objects of interest around them, and, telling the 
new comer what is before him, show the way. 



14 THOUGHTS FROM THE INNER LIFE. 

He remains with these friends until his affections 
attract or direct him to others. 

He is instructed and encouraged, never forced, 
but alwaj^s left to the true manifestations of his 
nature. 

You, who are here tonight, will not have to pass 
through that surprised condition, because you have 
truer conceptions of spirit life. 

When the last pulse is fluttering, — when the 
heart-beats are almost over, when struggling, gasp- 
ing, with the pain of expiring mortality, — you will 
catch glimpses of faces smiling pleasant welcome. 
It will be no surprise, but happy greeting and 
hearty hand-shaking, with those who have gone 
before. 

Spirits live in the spirit-world, but their interest 
and labor are as much for mortals and the world 
as with spirits and spirit-land. 

When one who has lived a good and pure life, 
and has gained some knowledge of the spirit-world, 
is dying, or the spirit is passing out of the body, 
he sees the outlines of that land into which he is 
about to enter, and he also sees forms of dazzling 
beauty whose magnetic power soothes, and takes 
away all dread and fear of dying. 

It is a misfortune for children to die young. 

Of course they escape all the physical suffering 
of earth life ; but the keenest and sweetest enjoy- 
ment comes by contrast. Thej^ are placed in a 
kind of intermediate condition between the upper 



THE SPIlilT- WOULD. 15 

and lower spheres. They are given in charge of 
pure and holy spirits. They are always brought 
back to their parents, not because of their wisdom, 
but of their purity, and, too, because they can 
more readily take up and act upon the forces 
surrounding the parents. They are continually 
hovering around their earth homes, and if they 
find pure and harmonious conditions, these chil- 
dren progress very fast; but they do not increase 
in size any faster than they would have done had 
they remained in earth life. They are often sent 
on errands of great importance by higher spirits. 
They are strongly attached to parents and to those 
to whom they have to go to gather earth knowledge, 
and, oftentimes, when the parents are wrapped in 
slumber, these little ones are allowed to come, 
fondle and caress them, until that part of their 
nature, which never found expression in earth life, 
has been gratified. 

Those who die in infancy and childhood, after 
they have been in spirit life long enough to attain 
the stature of manhood and womanhood, have the 
power to reduce themselves to their former size, 
and so appear the same as when on earth, and, by 
this means, parents and friends, when they enter 
the spirit-world, recognize them at once. — Eva. 




CIRCLE II. 



SPHERES IN THE SPIRIT-WORLD. 



^ VERYTHING belonging to the spirit-world 
..y;^^ corresponds with your world. There are 
oceans, seas, rivers, rocks, and mountains, trees, 
flowers, and birds, with landscapes of gorgeous 
beaut}", — all of which are lighted by the clearest, 
brightest, and purest atmosphere. [In answer to 
an inquiry concerning the spheres, the following 
descriptions were given] : — 

There are many spheres, circles, or orbits. The 
second sphere embraces this earth, and many other 
worlds. 

Purity and love are most manifest in the seventh 
sphere, and spirits have to pass through circles of 
worlds to reach that point. 

You cannot do anything for one another through 
motives of kindness and love but that it benefits 
yourself; and, besides this, the benefit reaches from 
earth to the spheres. 

Spirits in affinity with you will become inspired 



SPHERES IN THE SPIRIT-WORLD. 17 

by the feeling of charity and love, and, in response, 
will circulate it through the spheres. 

One with a strong purpose in life, with a strong 
desire to excel in any one thing, will not lose that 
desire by putting off the body; but rather will be 
attracted to those who will teach and instruct him 
in all he may seek to know until his brain is capa- 
ble of mighty conceptions. 

Mortals have but a very imperfect idea of the 
spheres. 

The statements made in regard to them are only 
in part truth. 

When the spirit leaves the form, it is conducted 
to a locality suitable to its condition, capacity, 
knowledge, and understanding, and where the 
society is such as to aid in its advancement. 

The first sphere is a belt, or zone, extending 
around the earth. This is called the transition 
sphere, or condition. Ever}^ spirit, upon leaving 
the body, must pass through this sphere to divest 
itself of the impure conditions of earth life. 

The seventh, or celestial, sphere is the home of 
the angels and archangels. In this sphere they 
communicate with those in the sixth, and they 
with the fifth, and so on down until the first are 
reached, and these communicate with earth. We 
always get our instructions from those above us, 
and they from those above them, and so on. 

The seventh sphere is fai-, far away, beyond the 
comprehension of spirits as well as of mortals. 



18 THOUGHTS FROM THE INNER LIFE. 

This is not strange when you consider how little 
you know of the earth upon which you live. You 
cannot conceive the vast extent of the ocean by 
seeing its waves lash the shore. 

That there is a soul-land beyond the seventh 
sphere, where all that can be known of God is 
revealed, we have every reason to believe. The 
inhabitants of the sixth sphere are not entirely 
divested of matter, but they are developed into 
that pure condition of unsellish love which is not 
known in the spheres below them. They have a 
higher and fuller appreciation of that great Cen- 
tral Life which you call " God." 

The fifth is the sphere of music. Here are 
grand and beautiful instruments, which it would 
be impossible for spirits to describe to the compre- 
hension of mortals. 

In the past ages the prophets and seers, while 
in the trance, or superior state, caught strains of 
music from this sweet land of song, and through 
them came the idea to mortals that heaven was a 
place where the angels were continually occupied 
in singing praises to God. 

The fourth sphere is where the home affections 
are understood, appreciated, and enjoyed. Here 
families and friends are reunited, having outgrown 
all of the inharmonies of earth life. 

The third is where the arts and sciences are per- 
fected. 

The second sphere is the land of schools, of edu- 



SPHERES IN THE SPIRIT-WORLD. 19 

cation, and instruction. The principles of truth, 
love, and goodness implanted in the mind while in 
earth life are liere broadened and developed. The 
impressions of wrong and error are corrected and 
uprooted. This sphere is similar, in all respects, 
to your world, and yet there is an almost incom- 
prehensible difference between them. Here many 
souls first become conscious of their divine origin, 
and are stimulated to greater activity; for, when 
the understanding becomes open to the reception 
of truth, they feel the mighty grandeur of the 
soul's birthright, and an innate yearning for the 
higher and brighter spheres beyond, and thus pro- 
gress has begun. On and on, from sphere to 
sphere, all the while retaining intact the affec- 
tions and connections formed in earth life. 

Love is the key-note of the soul. The affections 
are the life, the all, of spirit existence. Death, 
time, or distance cannot change or alter the deep, 
pure love and affection formed in earth life; but, 
as they journey through the spheres, they become 
more highly developed. 

The first sphere is so strangely mixed that it 
will be almost impossible to describe it to you in 
all of its different phases. Here all who pass 
through the gateway of death must enter. With 
some the journey through to the second sphere is 
very soon accomplished, while others are for years 
wandering through the boundaries near your earth 
dissatisfied, finding no happiness. They are weighed 



20 THOUGHTS FROM THE INNER LIFE. 

down by their own density. They have lived lives 
of dissipation and wickedness, and have no concep- 
tion of the duties and labors belonging to them. 
But, as soon as they are awakened to the powers 
within, a desire to learn is kindled in their souls, 
and progress has begun. 

To those whose lives have been good and pure 
on earth, death will, at once, reveal many of the 
realities of spirit life. Each day will unfold some 
new attribute of the soul. 

There are spirits here whose time is wholly occu- 
pied in visiting and social intercourse. They never 
thought or studied on earth, and they seek the 
same employment and enjoyment here. 

There are others who delight in tormenting those 
around them, and these seem almost incapable of 
instruction or progress. Their love of mischief is 
so great that many times when noble, truth-loving 
spirits are endeavoring to communicate through 
some receptive organism, or medium, they inter- 
fere, and, if possible, break up the conditions, and 
give their own garbled, untrue messages, all the 
while representing themselves as some one else, 
and making many earnest, truth-seeking souls 
almost sick with doubt and disappointment. 

But all of these claim kin with the Almighty 
Father; the power for good is boundless; they 
must ascend. 

The time will come when the fog of error will be 
lifted, and they will catch glimpses of the beauti- 



SPHERES IN THE SPIRIT-WORLD. 21 

fill valleys and landscapes beyond. They will then 
yearn to inhale the sweet aroma of flowers immor- 
tal, wafted to them on the breezes from the better 
land, and, through labor, they will wash out their 
sins. 

In this sphere there are many, oh, many, who 
are still looking for the God in whom they were 
taught to believe while on earth. They find noth- 
ing in spirit-land to correspond with their expec- 
tations; no God sitting on a great, white throne, 
before whom angels veil their faces; no Saviour 
but themselves. They find simpl}^ a world similar, 
in all respects, to the one which they have left. 
Their surprise and disappointment are very great. 
Sometimes they cling to old ideas, and hold meet- 
ings the same as when on earth, looking forward 
to be ushered soon into ''His awful presence." 
Kind spirits come to them and endeavor to make 
them understand that "God is love; " that he does 
not demand or require any such homage; that here 
all action is true to nature, and they must conform 
to the principles of God's nature ; that labor is the 
first thing demanded in spirit life, and only through 
their own individual "labor of love" can they 
attain that heavenly bliss which they desire. These 
thoughts are suggested and impressed, and they 
are then left to their own judgment. 

The vicious — such as murderers, and cruel, vin- 
dictive spirits — in this sphere have a place apart 
from other spirits, where they quarrel, wrangle, 



22 THOUGHTS FROM THE INNER LIFE. 

and torment each other until they become weary, 
and a reaction, as it were, takes place, and they 
are brought to feel and question : ''Must it alwa3^s 
be like this?" Immediately a bright one stands 
before them, beckoning and saying : " A life of 
beauty, of usefulness, and of happiness is before 
you." This is repeated over and over again. To 
you it would seem an age before they can gather 
sufficient strength to break away from these life- 
long habits and associations; but when their entire 
attention is once gained there is no more retrogra- 
dation ; and, when they begin to ascend, they look 
back and see how much they have lost, and an 
agony so great takes possession of the soul that it 
gives birth to a newness of life almost divine. 

Another class are the noble-hearted philanthro- 
pists of earth, who devoted their lives, and did 
what they could, for the race ; but, through the 
force of circumstances, were unable to give full 
action to the great, munificent love which thrilled 
and surged through their inmost souls. These 
think not of self; they meet together, and counsel 
how to counteract the evil, and advance the good. 

Tlie great men of earth who have been served 
by, and who have received the homage of, their 
subjects are'sometimes years and years becoming 
sufficiently humbled to recognize the law of equal- 
ity. When they see those who were once their 
humble slaves rejoicing in a newness of life, faces 
radiant with the happiness which they cannot feel, 



SPHERES IN THE SPIRIT-WORLD. 23 

drinking in the beauties whicli they cannot see, 
they become angry and feel that an injustice is 
done them. ''They lift up their eyes, being in 
torment ; " and from this came the stor}^ of Laza- 
rus and the rich man. While the rich man was 
groaning under the weight of his disappointment, 
Lazarus, freed from his diseased and painful body, 
was rejoicing with his friend Abraham, his head 
resting on Abraham's bosom. 

The chiims of the soul are such that it will he 
heard^ even against itself, and in time these great 
ones will find that they are less than the least of 
those who served them while on earth. 

Those who were once like themselves, but who 
have passed through the struggle of purification, 
are ever ready to whisper words of encouragement, 
and to aid them iiL their struggle with self. 

To those who die suddenly, or b}^ accident are 
forced out of the body in a moment of time, the 
shock is so great that sometimes it is with extreme 
dif6culty that they enter their spiritual body. Not 
knowing that they are going to make the change, 
they are at a loss to know where they are, or what 
has happened. 

There are many, as you know, who have no idea 
of a continued life. These, when suddenly sepa- 
rated from the earthly tenement, remain for some 
time in a dreamy state, or condition. But it is 
beautiful to see the old, who have ripened into the 
perfect fruit, enter into spirit life. Faces, radiant, 



24 THOUGHTS FROM THE INNER LIFE. 

greet them with : ''Welcome ! welcome ! " "T was 
a hungered, and 3'e gave me meat; I was thirsty, 
and ye gave me drink; naked, and ye clothed me." 
Then, in humble surprise, they ask : "When did I 
all these things?" Inrepl}^: "Inasmuch as ye did 
it unto my little ones, left on earth, ye did it unto 
me," — and, with a great shout, they are borne into 
the illimitable fields of happiness and compensa- 
tion. 

There are those on earth who spend a whole life- 
time surrounding themselves with every luxury. 
They build houses of useless extravagance, and fill 
them with everything tending to indolence and sel- 
fishness, and never have a thought for anj^thing 
but self. They pass out, in the midst of all their 
regal splendor; and, never having struggled to lay 
up for tliemselves "treasures in heaven," when the 
change comes, death deprives them of everything 
but their selfishness. No beautiful homes prepared 
for theui I They have furnished no material which 
could be used for that purpose. 

When they find that they are homeless, they 
try to build for themselves. They fancy they are 
going to have a beautiful mansion, but, when it is 
finished, it is the merest hut. Through these expe- 
riences they are led to inquire, and they ascertain 
that they must do something worthy. 

I wish to digress, and tell a little story of my 
own. Mr. Fox says it will, best of anything, illus- 
trate this point: — 



SPHERES IN THE SPIRIT-WOKLD. 25 

Some time ago, a band of radiant-faced spirits 
beckoned us to earth. M}^ teacher said : " There 
is a lesson to be learned ; let us go." We went to 
a humble home, in a room of which a woman was 
lowly kneeling, her face buried in her hands. Great 
sobs shook her frame, but I could get no feeling of 
suffering. At length she lifted her streaming eyes 
to heaven, and exclaimed : " Father Almighty, bless 
him ; ' Give thine angels charge concerning him ! ' " 

When she had finished her supplications, my 
companion said : '^ This is a widow struggling with 
many cares. The fire burned low, and the fuel 
was exhausted. A kind mortal said nothing, but 
sent coal for the winter, and this is what has so 
stirred the depths of her soul. Now we will go and 
visit this kind donor.'' 

And who do you think it was? It was no other 
than my own dear, good, kind papa. This is the 
material which, in the spirit life, builds the home 
of peace, and the mansion of joy. 

There are those whose ante-natal surroundings, 
life conditions, and influences are of the most sel- 
fish greed, and as there is not, in all of the opera- 
tions of nature, ''a shadow of turning," these 
conditions micst he outwrought. The}^ seek wealth, 
not for the happiness it can bring to themselves or 
others, but for the possession of it. When these 
pass out, as they often do in the prime of life, and 
in the midst of their great struggle to become the 
possessors of millions, they cannot be persuaded to 



26 THOUGHTS FEOM THE INNEE LIFE. 

leave the earth sphere. They cling to their pos- 
sessions, and wander among their old business 
haunts. The spirit's fate rests within itself, and 
there is an impelling force which sends it forth to 
seek some one whose feelings and desires corre- 
spond with its own; and, when it finds such a one, 
it attaches itself to him, and follows him like a 
shadow. They work earnestly to accomplish this 
deep-rooted desire of their nature, and when it is 
accomplished, and they find how unsatisfactory it 
is, their feelings undergo a change, and they work 
with as great earnestness and zeal to scatter as 
they did before to gather ; and this is why there 
are so many who are rich today and poor tomorrow. 
These spirits are very slow in their progress. They 
remain for a long time in the first sphere. When 
one of these worldly spirits finds how unsatisfac- 
tor}^ his labor and struggle for gain are, he becomes 
sad and despondent. He continues to wander 
around on the borders of the earth sphere, seeking 
something, he knows not what. Kind spirits come 
to him and try to interest him, or get him inter- 
ested, in the objects of beauty which lie before 
him ; but lie refuses with scorn all efforts to lead 
him to higher conditions. Yet these bright ones 
do not grow weary. They continue to cluster 
around him, and, by every endearing kindness, try 
to lift his thoughts from the groveling things of 
earth to the beauties of the scenes around him. 



SPHERES IN THE SPIRIT-WORLD. 27 

They tell him of the broad fields in which he can 
become useful. 

At length they point him, in the distance, to the 
great workshops for probationary spirits, and at 
once he becomes interested, and signifies a desire 
to go through them. But he goes through with 
such a haughty mien ! After a time he becomes 
filled with wonder and surprise that no one takes 
any notice of him, that no one seems to heed his 
presence. He can bear it no longer. He approaches 
one, and inquires : " Where is the proprietor of 
these great works, — your employer?" The work- 
man raises his pleasant, smiling face, and, placing 
his hand upon his heart, says: "Our employer is 
here — within. We were once ail, like yourself, 
seeking our own aggrandizement, but we learned, 
by bitter experience, that it brought no happiness. 
We are beginning to learn the object of our exist- 
ence. We labor for the good of all. Our reward 
is 'the purity of love,' and 'the beauty of holi- 
ness.' " These words sank deep into his soul. He 
retired to a lonely spot, and said to himself: "What 
shall I do in this strange place, and among these 
strange people?" He feels the presence of some 
one, and, lifting his head, he sees a most transcend- 
ently-beautiful being approaching. As it nears 
him it changes somewhat, and he exclaims : " My 
mother ! Oh, my mother I " He sprang forward 
to embrace her, but sank back quivering with a 
sense of his gross unfitness to clasp a being so 



28 THOUGHTS FEOM THE INNEK LIFE. 

pure. He fell upon the ground, crying: "'Motlier, 
wliy did you not come before ? " She drew near, 
and, in tender tones, soothed his agitation. She 
explained to him how he, with all things else, was 
bound by the eternal law of God, which, in its 
operations, in time, will bring all spirits into the 
light and knowledge of progression. God himself 
cannot change at once the spirit on entering the 
spirit-world. Had she come to him before he could 
not have received her. She laid her hand upon his 
head, and he became calmer, while she told him of 
her beautiful home, and that she would come to 
him from time to time. 

In this sphere there are asylums for the insane. 
Those whose reason has been dethroned for many 
years in earth life are treated by themselves. They 
are surrounded by the most quiet and beautiful 
influences. Some are very soon restored to reason, 
while, with others, it is a long time before an equi- 
librium is established. There is another place for 
those who are insane only upon one subject. There 
are many receiving treatment in these asylums who 
were thought to be perfectly sane in earth life. They 
labor earnestly for the restoration of others. They 
can see how others are affected, but have no idea 
that they themselves are under treatment. When 
all that was dim and obscure is, through love's 
beautiful surroundings, brightened, developed, and 
brought into full play, then they see what their 
condition was, and through the process of their 



SPHERES IN THE SPERIT-WORLD. 29 

own treatment and recovery, they learn the hxw, 
and its application. Most of the time, while they 
remain in the first sphere, is devoted to the care of 
these patients. It is beautifal to see with what 
tender solicitnde they watch over the afflicted ones. 
There are other asylums for the inebriates. In 
these asylums the scenes are dreadful. The inmates 
suffer the most terrible agony. At times, when the 
fierce, craving appetite seizes them, some fairly 
howl with the agony of their craving. They some- 
times break from their attendants, and rush away 
to the earth sphere, seeking some one through 
whom they can imbibe the fumes of liquor. Others 
work long and hard to overcome, and, as they cast 
off the material, the craving becomes less and less, 
until at length they are free, and able to climb to 
greater bights. Oh, if mortals could only know, 
or realize, one half of the curse entailed by the use 
of alcohol, they would never touch it; but this, 
like all other things, must be the work of time. 

Eva. 




CIRCLE III 



[Members all present.] 

SPIRIT LIFE AND THOUGHT. 

ff^EAR n:iamma, dear papa, when you come to 
^^ your spirit-home 3^ou will not come as stran- 
gers. This blessed privilege of communicating 
with you takes away the sting of separation. 
It bridges the "river of death" with immortal 
flowers. I want to tell you so many things I do 
not know where to commence. Everything in our 
spirit-home is so beautiful. Sometimes I feel a 
wish that you could see and breathe this glorious 
atmosphere, for we can see and breathe it, too. I 
cannot find words to make you understand. The 
trees seem to possess a soul. Everything seems 
so grandly beautiful, and possessed of a greater 
and deeper life. I hope sometime to make you 
understand more fully. I am so glad that you 
begin to realize that I am not dead, but risen, not 
from the grave, but from death, into the broad, 
open page of a life that is endless; a life filled 



SPIRIT LIFE AND THOUGHT. 31 

with the glad harmony of angels ; a life thrilling 
and pulsing with the love of God. 

It is so beautiful to realize that we have a per- 
sonalit}^, an individuality; powers, latent while in 
the form, now quickened into action until likened 
unto the very gods of the universe. 

Dear papa and mamma, it is hard to find words 
adequate to tell you of the great lessons of life 
which I am learning. Sometimes I so long to 
come back to my earth-home, to my dear papa and 
mamma, and my beloved brother. 

Oh, it is glorious to live, and it is glorious to 
die. It is beautiful to pray, when prayer is the 
sincere desire of the heart for knowledge and wis- 
dom, and for blessings on mankind. 

A spark of divinity thrills in every human 
heart, and it is the mission and pleasure of those 
who have gone up higher to draw out that immor- 
tal spirit to the recognition of this summer-land. 
Here the highest and greatest aspirations are more 
than gratified. Here the weary find rest from 
wrongly-imposed labor. 

You have given me many beautiful gems to 
bear away to the spirit-realms ; for you must know 
that every word kindly spoken to the crushed and 
bleeding heart of suffering humanit}^ is like the 
perfume of undying flowers. 

A beautiful presence is ever near to guide and 
direct me ; and, oh, papa, such overwhelming wis- 



32 THOUGHTS FROM THE IXNER, LtFE. 

dom lias come to me that I feel T am but the breath 
of a thought, — the faintest echo of living life. 

M}^ guide said to me : '' Child of earth, is the 
blessing too great for thee to bear? Fear not! 
Thy soul is but a trembling, unsteady intelligence 
amid the grandeur of divine glory and beauty; 
but even as God is thy Father, and thou art His 
child, will greater power descend upon thee from 
higher spheres, and thou shalt be led through all 
the phases of thy spirit-being." 

Every truth wherever found — whether in the 
lowest depths of crime or in the grand and gor- 
geous temples Avhose spires point, like a finger, heav- 
en ward — is the infallible word of God. You can 
no more confine the word of God within the com- 
pass of hunian language than you can confine the 
raging ocean within the embrace of a bubble. 

Fear not the scoffs and jeers of the world, for 
angels are hovering near Avith hearts of love and 
words of cheer. Let the world call Spiritualism 
"fraud ! humbug I " or what it will; it matters not 
so long as it is effectually doing the work it has 
begun in breaking down the barriers of supersti- 
tion, and opening the eyes of the blind, believing 
thousands with the hope of immortality. Its mani- 
festations ma}', sometimes, seem rough and inhar- 
monious, when viewed with the external eye, but 
its power is mighty. 

It is destined to bring peace, joy, and harmony 
to the struggling bosom of humanity. The '' river 



SPIKIT LIFE AND THOUGHT. 33 

of death " is spanned by the magnetic wires of 
eternal affection. Immortal fathers, mothers, and 
children are sending love-messages to their dear 
friends on earth, and the glad answers come wafted 
back and roll through the eternal realms in songs 
of praise and thanksgiving. 

I have been to the Temple of Thought. Oh, 
papa, it is grand, soul-tlirilling ! They do not 
talk much; but some great mind presents a sub- 
ject which he has investigated, and the thoughts 
roll like a great wave, or volume, over the minds 
of the people, and, if they do not understand, it 
incites them to search and investigate. (I cannot 
make you understand.) There is everything here 
to teach us that "God is love." Papa, heaven is 
full of harmony and love. Heaven is our home. 

You ask: "Is the spirit-world a real world?" 
I did not know that I had left the form until I 
tried to console you and mamma, and found you 
could not feel my touch. Oh, papa, it seemed so 
strange. 

I want to tell you of the lessons I am learning. 
Our life is a life of labor; our labor the labor 
of love ; our happiness consists in making others 
happy. 

We understand what true happiness is ; and some 
are occupied in teaching and elevating those below 
them. Oh, what a beautiful, ceaseless "labor of 
love." — Eva. 




CIRCLE IV. 



[After an explanation to us by little Jimmie, — who came 
to us a little boot-black and waif, who had never known 
father, mother, or home, and whose growth and progress to 
us have been a marvel; this dear little boy, through his 
kindness, wit, and high sense of honor, has won the hearts 
of all who have heard him, — the following beautiful invoca- 
tion was offered] : — 

" Out of the mouths of babes ye are taught. Shades of 
the mighty dead, we invoke you to aid us in our efforts to 
lead these human children up to greater hights ! May the 
sweet influx of love, mercy, goodness, and charity remain 
and abide with you. Good-night."' — Mr. Fox. 



TRUE HAPPINESS. 



E understand what true happiness is. It 
-x^^X^ consists in making others happy; and, just 
in proportion as they expand and develop, our wis- 
dom increases. 

The spirits never think of themselves. No ; 
never ! They labor for others. Oh, if the people 
of earth could know what joy to live for the happi- 
ness of one another. But we have the advantage : 



TRUE HAPPIKESS. 35 

we do not have physical wants to look after. 
Society is such that it makes men selfish. T am 
told by those who understand these things that 
sometime the "law of love " will govern the world. 
This is the mission of the spirits, — to develop the 
love-principle in man ; and every tiny rap is a wave 
of love from the sea of eternal life, a throb of love 
from angel hearts. 

Many persons find their good intentions mis- 
applied, and they regret it. Never regret any- 
thing you do with good intent. Your reward is 
sure. 

The moving of tables, and rapping on the floors 
and walls of dwellings, are of greater importance 
than is realized or understood by mortals. They 
are the musical beatings of the tide of an infinite 
sea,— a sea bearing upon its bosom crafts laden 
with rich gems of immortal life, gems from our 
beautiful land. 

The fabled *' valley of death" is becoming a 
bright pinnacle of glory set in the sky, lighting up 
the dark pathwa}^ of man, and illuminating the 
lowlands of this mundane sphere. 

It is beautiful, it is lovely, to climb the mount- 
ains and view our summer-land. I wish I could 
make you understand. I come here with my heart 
full of beautiful things ; but I fail, — I fail. 

Some will tell you there are no mountains, no 
grand rivers, no flowers nor beautiful birds. It is 
because there is no soil of love in their hearts in 



36 THOUGHTS FROM THE INNER LIFE. 

which to produce the beautiful tendrils of truth. 
Spirits see nature, not through the senses, but 
through the spirit. We see the human mind, and 
its spiritual aspirations, before we see the human 
form. 

In this life, wherever our hearts are interested, 
there is our home. We are not circumscribed in 
our journeyings. We are free, — free as the birds 
that float through the air, free as the thoughts that 
come and go. 

Every glance of the eye, every clasp of the 
hand, is understood. We have liberty, — grand 
and glorious liberty. 

Make your lives pure and beautiful ; enjoy all 
there is to enjoy; gather the blossoms of sympa- 
thy and kindness. Sympathy for humanity is the 
fairest and sweetest blossom of the human souL 

Eva.' 




CIRCLE V. 



[Members all present. Circle opened by Mr. Fox, wlio is 
Eva's teacher, and the leader of the spirit band. ] 

Christmas. 
This holiday was instituted to commemorate the birth of 
the most harmonious, the most harmoniously-organized, per- 
son who ever lived. But you must not think that he can 
forgive your sins, for this he cannot do ; neither can he ask 
the Father to do it for you. You yourselves must each be 
his own " Saviour."— Mr. Fox. 



SOUL-YEAKNING. 



Xj^H, how happj I am to come to yon. How 
^^ many are here tonight who cannot reach 
their own homes. It gives them such a home-sick 
feeling. No matter how grand and beautiful the 
dwelling, or how lovely the scenery of our spirit- 
home, there is still a yearning for the loved ones 
left behind. We are drawn to you by a peculiar, 
magnetic chord about which we understand but 
cannot explain to you. It is hard to realize that 



38 THOUGHTS FROM THE INKER LIFE. 

we liave the same individuality we possessed on 
earth, yet cannot make our friends feel our pres- 
ence. I realize you more than you can realize me, 
for I have been in your condition, but 3'ou have 
not been in mine. 

Nature is not all alike. There is a principle of 
goodness, instead of evil, in all nature. 

The cares of life are the evils which beset you ; 
but there are others against wiiicli you must bat- 
tle. In love, dear papa, I ask your self-examina- 
tion. The day is not far distant in which we will 
stand, "face to face" and. "eye to eye," and the 
principles which we try to inculcate will be demon- 
strated. Your soul shall find that a triumph over 
self is conducive not alone to your happiness, but 
that it gives speed to the footsteps of those who 
follow after. It will give to your spirit-life a joy 
and happiness that I cannot describe. 

My dear, good papa, you know why I talk to 
you upon this subject. I love you, dear papa, and 
can see these things as they are. 

You may think it strange that I am so particu- 
lar about forming the circle; but when you con- 
form to the conditions required, an equilibrium is 
established. (Electricity and magnetism are in 
all things, in one condition or another.) When 
this equilibrium is obtained, vA^e place ourselves 
near the one whose material condition is most 
concurrent with our own, and by this arrangement 
we a.re enabled to draw from the medium and the 



SOUL-YEAKNING. 39 

circle sufficient material with which to clothe our- 
selves so as to be able to talk to you, and, perhaps, 
to come in contact with you. I wish 1 could make 
you understand it as I do, but I cannot find the 
words. Your conditions are so good, quiet, and 
harmonious that they enable us to give intellect- 
ual lessons to you. 

I want to tell you of my visit to the great Gen- 
eral Assembly. It was so grand ! A vast temple, 
many stories high, arranged inside something like 
galleries, in which were the grand, old teachers, 
one above the other, according to their advance- 
ment. All around the outside of the temple were 
mottoes, bright and luminous, such as: "Truth," 
"Wisdom," "Charit}^," "God is Love." These 
mottoes seemed to be endowed with life^ and when 
I came to look at them, I found that they were 
formed of small spirits, — spirits of children. Oh, 
papa, it was beautiful ! so beautiful ! The teach- 
ing commenced at the first gallery,— I shall have 
to call them galleries, — and continued upward 
one to another ; and when it came to the teaching 
of the works of God, — the Heavenly Father, — the 
sides of the temple opened, and gave us a view of 
the magnitude of His wondrous works. In and 
around this magnificent temple the light is beauti- 
ful, — like burnished gold and silver ! They are 
blended together, yet each one is very distinct. 
The light seems to emanate from those advanced 
spirits who have come to teach. It becomes more 



40 THOUGHTS FEOM THE INNER LIFE. 

bright, soft, and beautiful from gallery to gallery 
until it reaches the dome. When we entered this 
circle of light we felt a thrill of joy, a newness of 
life which we never before realized. 

When one of these great ones begins to speak or 
teach, his words are not uttered in audible sounds. 
Each one of this vast assemblage possesses the 
power to read the words in his mind as the teacher 
forms them. They speak on different subjects, 
some of which I shall name : " The power of spir- 
its to communicate with mortals." "Our God, 
His goodness, love, and mercy." ''Prayer is the 
inception of love and truth." "The spirit of 
God is in everything." "Time, in its passage, 
leaves its impress on mind and matter." — EvA. 

Benediction. 
May the joy of heaven rest and abide with you ! May the 
angels gently lead you up the steps of eternal life, where 
all is peace; where joy never ends; where eternity is eter- 
nal ! Good-night ! — Mr. Fox. 






CIRCLE VI. 



[Members of the circle all present.] 

" My friends, be strong- in the truth. The knowledge of a 
life beyond is growing stronger every day. It will over- 
come all hearts, not by the power of force, but by the power 
of love. 

" Humanity is reaching out after a deeper and more abid- 
ing love than it can find on earth. The soul's pulsations have 
reached up into the higher spheres. Oh, what a change 
there will be in the ruling of the nations when all people 
shall be brought to the knowledge of the ' communion of 
spirits,' from the highest sphere to the lowest inhabitant of 
earth." — Mr. Fox. 



EVA S SPIRIT-HOME. 



ET makes me so happy that you and dear 
mamma have dared to breathe the sweet atmos- 
phere wafted to you from the brighter land; dared 
to look through the incrustations of prejudice into 
the brighter realms of love and harmony. The 
angels stand ready to strew your pathway with 
immortal blossoms, culled from the garden of eter- 
nal life. 



42 THOUGHTS FROM THE INNER LIFE. 

Gladly would I lead you 

To our glorious summer-land, 
Where — the fountains ever playing — 

Angels walk the golden strand ; 

Where the sunlight never darkens, 

Where the light of Truth prevails, 
Where Life's healing waters sparkle 

Through shady glens and flowery dales ; 

Where little Bailey gathers flowers 

In all his childish glee, — 
The fairest ones in heavenly bowers, — 

An oflering unto thee. 

With other children, bright and fair, 

He roams the fields of beauty ; 
Their loving hearts are free from care ; 

They know no rule save duty. 

Where our Indian maiden clasps him to her breast ; 
All her soul, a love pervading, calls him to his rest ; 

Where dear grand-mamma, with her face so bright 

And radiant in eternal youth. 
Has learned to read God's word aright, 

As page by page unfolds the mighty volume Truth. 

I have a home which is shared by a number of 
others, some of whom are children, — some of my 
own age, and some who were old in earth-life. 
When a friend of anyone of our family dies, we 
are summoned to attend the spirit in its passage 
out of the old shell. It is then brought to our 
home, provided with every conifort, and tenderly 



43 



cared for until it becomes accustomed to the 
change. We are never crowded. Our home is 
large, with many rooms, of every size and descrip- 
tion, which are filled with every beautiful thing 
that the design and taste of each may direct. 
Magniticent pictures, breathing of the soul's expe- 
rience, hang upon the walls. There is nothing in 
this great home that jars upon the feelings, or 
makes one wish that it were different, for the soft- 
ening hand of beauty and of harmony has passed 
over all. 

Our garden and lawn, with its green carpet, 
diversified by beautiful shrubs and trees, slopes 
down to the bank of a beautiful river, upon whose 
silvery water floats many a pleasure boat. 

Birds, of every variety of song and plumage, 
fill the air with music. They are as familiar with 
us as your household pets are with you. A stream 
comes leaping down the mountain side, sometimes 
losing itself in the soft, velvety moss, and again 
reappearing in the cascade, dashing and trembling 
from rock to rock, until it is transformed into the 
little river which runs through our garden and 
empties into the lake. Its murmuring ripple makes 
sweet music, and lulls the soul to peace and har- 
mony. 

Beautiful fountains are scattered here and there, 
throwing up glistening jets of everj^ form and 
color, — beautiful as the rainbow. 



44 THOUGHTS FROM THE INNER LIFE. 

Arbors, that no language can describe ; walks, 
bordered with flowers that never fade. 

But it is most beautiful to see our children 
when others come to them. No jarring, but per- 
fect harmony and love. 

I have another home — a cottage, all my own — 
which I will describe before I leave. I am goiog, 
but will come back. Your love calls me, and, if I 
would, I could not resist. I shall come when you 
have needs that I can supply. I could not be 
happy if I did not. 

M}^ cottage home is in a sort of glen, between 
two beautiful hills. It is not large, but very 
lovely. A porch extends around it on all sides, 
covered with vines and beautiful flowers. 

It stands in the center of a large garden, with 
walks, and fruit of every variety; fruit that corre- 
sponds with your apples, only ours are snowy white. 
From the porch, the view is exceedingly lovely, 
the landscape being diversified by field and forest, 
hill and dale. A brook meanders through a mea- 
dow near by. In one place its gentle murmur 
lulls the weary to rest ; while, in another, it leaps 
and tumbles with joy over the rocks, throwing out 
upon the quiet air its hoarse music, and stirring 
the soul to a deeper purpose of labor and activity. 

There are ornamental arches covered with vines, 
and shady bowers and arbors covered with the 
green foliage of trees. ^Everything beautiful is pro- 
fusely scattered around. 



eva's spirit-home. 45 

Inside the cottage is reproduced everything that 
I treasured, or thought beautiful in earth-life. Here 
I come with my teachers to study and prepare to 
go to the Temple of Thought ; here, also, I receive 
company, and here Gracie remained with me until 
she became reconciled to the change. 

My cottage home is for you and mamma. You 
have furnished much with which to form the cot- 
tage, and I have reserved all that is in and around 
it for you. 

And, now, papa and mamma, I am going to leave 
you for a season Try and profit by what the dear 
ones have taught you; and although I may not 
speak audibly to you for a little while, still I am 
your own Eva, and I will return to help you — 
with the help of those above me — -to lead you on 
and up to my beautiful cottage home. — Eva. 



W|^ 




CIRCLE VII 



[All the members present. Mr. Black — who is, and has 
been for the past thirty years, the spirit-control of the 
medium, Mrs. Swain — gave us the following greeting] : — 

" ' A Happy New Year ' to all of you pale faces 1 May the 
close of ' eighty-one ' be made happy to you by the earnest 
endeavor that has been made to ' overcome evil with good ' ; 
by the opportunities that have been improved ; by the sad 
and sorrowing hearts made glad ; and by the sweet and beau- 
tiful reflection that the world has been made better for your 
having lived in it." — Jim Black. 



WISDOM AND KNOWLEDGE. 

H, mamma, oh, papa, the hights of wisdom 
^^ and knowledge that rise up around me I 
Smiling angels look down and beckon me on and 
on. In my new condition I am surrounded by 
kindred minds, by loving souls ; but, oh, mamma, 
papa, there is nothing half so sweet — nothing that 
so fills my heart with rapture — as coming back to 
you. This forms a center through which many 
souls can be reached. 



WISDOM AND KNOWLEDGE. 47 

I have spent many, many hours in studying how 
to make you understand the great good we derive 
by coming back, but I cannot. All of the aspira- 
tions and desires of my life while I remained in 
the spheres below the one which I now occupy 
are here realized, or have here culminated. I live 
in an atmosphere of thought instead of things. 

Time and things form no part of our lives, only 
as they touch our relations of love and sympathy 
for you. ' 

This sphere seems to pulsate with thought, with 
spirit, with soul. All of the wisdom and knowl- 
edge that is gained on earth, and afterward acquired 
in the first and second spheres, is here quickened 
and intensified. Here we have a fuller knowledge 
and understanding of the use and powers of the 
soul. Here the spirit is clothed with spiritual sub- 
stances. This is the atmosphere of the soul, where 
thought answers thought, where the communion 
of the soul is perfect and complete. I do not 
know as I can make it clear to your mind. 

You know, when you are in earnest conversation 
with a dear friend, and there is an unrestrained 
interchange of thought, you forget your surround- 
ings, and take no notice of what is pa^ssing. For 
a moment, there is a perfect unison of thought. 
So it is with my present condition. When I come 
into the second sphere I have to take on material 
(I hardly know how -to express it), and when I 
come to the first still more, and when I come to 



48 THOUGHTS FROM THE INNER LIFE. 

you even more still. The privilege of aiding mor- 
tals is far more highly prized by spirits than by 
mortals themselves. 

Wisdom descends on clouds of glory. The angels 
come with the ''rainbow of promise" arching their 
brows, with their hearts filled with the blessings 
of peace and consolation ; but worldly prejudice 
sometimes shuts the door of investigation. Dis- 
appointment clouds their bright faces, and, with 
sorrow, they return. Their hearts are filled with 
love and affection, and gladly would they teach 
mortals that charity is the expression of love. 
Charity is tlmt which confers blessings upon the 
children of want. Want is the recipient ; charity, 
the handmaid of love, is the donor. 

Those who have investigated Spiritualism, and 
then become cold and indiiferent, are the ones 
who, after putting off the body, will have to labor 
hardest to convince mortals of its truth. 

We have no knowledge of time, as you count the 
months and years. It is the ever-present '-'-nowT 

As far as I have been able to see and under- 
stand, the greatest enjoyment and happiness of all 
spirits who have developed into a condition of per- 
fect harmony is to act as guides to the inhabitants 
of earth, to cheer and direct their pilgrimage to the 
land of souls. The heart quivers and pulsates 
with the desire to touch the electric chain of 
sympathy, and, through the white light of love, to 
straighten the tangled web of unbelief, and lead 



WISDOM AND KNOWLEDGE. 49 

them gently through the valley of change up 
the ascending hights of wisdom and knowledge. 
They would disrobe Death of its somber habili- 
ments of woe, and clothe it in the garments of 
love and peace. They would teach all to know 
and feel that Death, instead of being the grim 
enemy of man, is but the angel-sentinel who stands 
at the gate of eternal life. He only can loosen the 
bolts of materiality, and usher the weary, panting 
soul into the realms of eternal day. — EvA. 




ic^^^^ 



CIRCLE VIII 



SPIRITUAL JOY AND SADNESS. 

'^(^ItHEN, with the good and virtuous, life's 
^N^^K- weary journey is ended, and the covering 
of mortality is exchanged for that of immortality, 
he is met by kind spirits who welcome him with 
words of comfort and encouragement, until he 
becomes accustomed to the change. And when 
he becomes fully alive to his own condition and 
surroundings, they take him to an extensive grove, 
or park, with beautiful walks and winding paths, 
lined on either side with fragi'ant shrubs and lovely 
flowers. 

Grand old trees are there, with birds whose 
songs mingle with the sound of rippling water. A 
soft, silvery light, blended with gold and shaded 
with purple, rests over all. 

His soul is filled with happiness as he wanders 
along admiring and enjoying the glorious scenes 
around him. A turn in the path brings him to 
something which we cannot describe, but which 
we will call a group of statuary. The moment his 



SPIRITUAL JOY AND SADNESS. 51 

eye rests upon it his soul reads its meaning. It 
represents some kind deed, some act of love per- 
formed in earth-life. How his soul thrills with 
pleasure ! As he wanders along another, and still 
another, meets his gaze, until he clasps his hands 
for very joy. But, lo! a shadow falls across his 
path. Another scene is presented. How strangely 
different from the first ! This represents selfish- 
ness. He comprehends it at a glance, and, with a 
shudder, hastens on. But he cannot escape. He 
sees them on the right and on the left, and the 
contrast is so great that his very soul is bowed 
down before its vanit}^ and weakness. And then 
comes the terrible work of regret, — the true suf- 
fering for wrong. He sees the startling contrast 
between virtue and vice, between benevolence and 
selfishness, and his soul is bowed down in the most 
sincere sorrow. It is an agony grand to behold, — 
grand because a soul is in labor, and must give 
birth to a greater wisdom, a nobler love, and spot- 
less purity. 

One approaches who had acted as guardian to 
him in earth-life, whose countenance bespeaks calm 
and dignity and benevolence, and from this noble 
being emanates a light which penetrates and illu- 
minates the dark mists and shadows that envelop 
the sorrowing one. He feels its gentle influence ; 
his face becomes radiant with hope, and, from the 
depths of his soul, he cries out : " How can I remove 
the dark objects from my path? How can I redeem 



52 THOUGHTS FROM THE INNER LIFE. 

the past?" The guardian takes him by the hand, 
and, in tender tones, tells him that all of the capa- 
bilities are within his own soul ; that he, too, has 
passed through the same experience, and been 
surrounded by the same circumstances ; that he 
must go back to earth and help to enlighten the 
benighted ones; and that, through the "labor of 
love," he can redeem the past, and make bright 
the future. 

With this new hope and joy in his heart, he 
turns his face earthward. He seeks his own kin- 
dred, but, with all of his efforts, he is unable to 
make an impression, and, with feelings of deepest 
disappointment, he turns away. He meets a band 
of beautiful ones, who, with words of comfort and 
hope, soothe him to quiet, and invite him to go 
with them to a place where the law of communica- 
tion is more fully understood and established. 

When they arrive at the place, it is with joj^ and 
astonishment that he finds one who was very dear 
to him in earth-life. She came, not as a seeker 
after truth, but from motives of curiosity; and, oh, 
how his heart throbs with expectation as they 
instruct him how to act ; and when, by a great 
effort, he speaks, spells, or writes his name, she is 
startled for a moment, and then she says : "No, it 
is not he." Oh, what a shock to his poor, expect- 
ant heart ! He rushes away, and his guardian 
meets him on the boundaries of the eternal world, 
his head bowed down, and trembling with agita- 



SPmiTUAL JOY AND SADNESS. 58 

tion. He takes bim by the arm, and says: "Cbild 
of my care, and heir of heaven, what new sorrow? 
Has thy first lesson in spirit-life been too great for 
thee?" He replies: "My wrongs do follow me," 
— for he remembers, with deep humiliation, a simi- 
lar circumstance which occurred in his own life- 
experience, wherein he refused to accept a kind 
message from a dear spirit-friend. Now he knows, 
and feels, the sting of cold rejection. 

The recollection comes back with fearful force, 
and he has a feeling almost of despair of ever being 
able to attain to the good and the beautiful. His 
companion shows him that his salvation must be 
earned through his own industry, and that happi- 
ness cannot come through others. They move on 
until they come to a common, in which a large 
crowd of people are assembled, whose dress and 
appearance are those of mortals. Their attention 
is directed to some particular object. On approach- 
ing nearer he sees a tall, dignified man standing a 
little higher than the others, whose countenance 
evinces large intellect and great determination of 
character. His face beams with love and kindness. 
He is telling them that he was once like them- 
selves; that his earth-life was made dark by trans- 
gression and wrong; but by earnest effort and 
great struggle, many failures and disappointments, 
he had attained the place which he now occupies. 
He seems to reflect a holy calm upon that strange, 
listening crowd. The pained, disappointed look 



54 THOUGHTS FROM THE INNER LIFE. 

in their faces gives place to one of hope and deter- 
mination. 

This is all tonight; but there is one here who 
wishes to sa}^ that in this picture you have the 
experience of your friend, Thomas Courtright. 

When he leaves the common there is an entire 
change in the character of his mind. He has had 
a draught of nectar from the "Infinite Fount." 
His soul is, indeed, vivified and filled with a meek- 
ness, a kindness, and love, which he never felt 
before. Now he is en rapport with those less gross 
than himself. Everything which he sees around 
and about him is radiant with a newness of life 
and beauty. Self is entirely forgotten in this new 
and thrilling interest which he feels in humanity. 
He has suffered severe humiliation and anguish of 
spirit, and it has done him good. The scales of 
selfishness have fallen from his eyes, and now he 
is prepared to tread the ascending hights of pro- 
gression and unfoldment with the children of light 
and wisdom. Now he can return to earth, and 
touch, with angel fingers, the brow of care, and 
soothe the sorrowing heart. — Eya. 



CIRCLE IX. 



THE TYRANT. 

•^npHERE is one who, from his earliest recollec- 
§^ tions, knew naught but to rale, command, 
and be obeyed ; and, when he arrived at man's 
estate, a crown was placed upon his head, a scep- 
ter in his hand, and, for many years, he reigned 
king over a great nation. His reign was one of 
anything but love and peace ; and when at length 
he had to yield the scepter to the "King of kings," 
— the "Conqueror" of all kings, — his subjects 
mourned him only in the outward seeming. In 
their hearts they rejoiced that the tyrant was dead, 
and, with the weight of wrong upon his soul, he 
entered the realm of spirits. We cannot describe 
to you the long years of struggle, and the efforts 
made by loved ones to show him the way; but at 
last a chord of infinite love was touched in his 
soul, and the light shone into his mind. This is 
the history of our dear, kind, loving, noble-hearted 
friend and teacher, Mr. Fox. — Eva. 



CIRCLE X 



A FAIR AND BEAUTIFUL GIKL. 



^■'TpHERE was a fair and beautiful girl, the pride 



^- - - • 

^% and joy of a loving father, the idolized child 
and companion of a fond mother. Possessed of a 
loving nature, a sweet and amiable disposition, she 
drew all hearts to her. Bat, through the violation 
of nature's laws, disease fastened itself upon her 
delicate frame, and, one day, the angels met in 
council concerning her. They said: "She is too 
pure and frail to in dure the chilling blasts of 
earthly discord. It were better that she be trans- 
planted to a more congenial clime, — to the land 
of celestial wisdom, where there will be no impedi- 
ment to her true and beautiful unfoldment. Then 
we can reach the parents through Jier, and through 
their affection for her we can lead them to higher 
conditions, and through them we can reach others 
whom we can also lead into the light of immortal 
life." 

So this fair flower of earth-life — a beautiful 
lily — withered and failed, and day by day the 



A FAIR AND BEAUTIFUL GIRL. 57 

fastenings of mortal life were loosened till her face 
gleamed with a heavenly light and sweetness. 
And, at the Christmas-tide, the angels came and 
took her away to dwell with themselves in the 
summer-land. For a time her young heart was 
sad because of the separation from the loved ones; 
but when she was shown her mission, she accepted 
it with gladness. They christened her " Dew- 
drop," because she was as pure as the dew in the 
heart of the rose. 

This beautiful child — more beautiful for having 
laid off the gross covering of material life — came 
back to her eartJi-home, and by every endearment 
tried to impart and impress on the souls of the 
loved ones the purity, peace, and harmony of her 
own spirit-life. 

She never rested, never tired, but worked dili- 
gently until at length the father was brought into 
nearer rapport with her, and from the surrounding 
matter she was instructed how to form tiny fingers 
with which to caress his cheek. And, oh, how her 
heart thrilled with pleasure when she perceived 
the thrill of suppressed joy that passed over him, 
wdiile, in his heart, he said : " My darling lives ! " 
And, then, when she reached that mother's heart, 
the glad tidings were wafted through the spheres 
like a wave of eternal joy. And when she returned 
to her spirit-home great and mighty minds greeted 
her with bowed heads. 

Her holy mission has been ceaselessly and untir- 



58 THOUGHTS FROM THE INNER LIFE. 

ingly to lead you up, step by step, giving you 
"line upon liue," trying to bring before you pic- 
tures of that world to which you must come, and 
endeavoring to give you a fore-glimpse of the 
labor and the different phases of spirit-life. 

She has been planting in the soil of your souls 
the seeds of love and wisdom, which, if properly 
cultivated, will blossom into the fair flowers of 
heavenly peace and the golden fruit of eternal 
happiness. 

Her heart throbs in sympathy with your every 
struggle and effort, and thrills with joy at your 
successes. She comes to your home every day, and 
endeavors to shed around you the sweet, harmoni- 
ous atmosphere of the angel-world, and make your 
earth-home the counterpart of her beautiful abode 
in the summer-land. 

She would impress upon you the priceless worth 
of time. Oh, carry, in your daily lives, evidence 
and proof that the visits of this angel-child have 
done you good ; " for by their works ye shall know 
them."— Mr. Fox. 




W^^; 




^^fe 


!® 


^i 


Mo^G^p 


g/ ^g~j4^T^ 


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Sfe 



CIRCLE XI 



EVA S STORY. 

It ^^^NT to relate a little story of my own 
c^ experience. It has not been long since I was 
called to go, with others, to assist one who was 
about to leave the mortal form. 

When we reached the place we found a home 
of splendor. Everything that wealth could pur- 
chase or provide surrounded the sufferer. Her 
life had been devoted to worldly interests entirely, 
and when she passed out of the body, and gazed 
around, oh, the disappointment pictured upon her 
countenance ! Nothing but desolation ! There 
was not so much as a tiny flower, of her own cul- 
tivation, to greet her view. No pleasant, smiling 
faces whom she had benefited came to cheer her 
impoverished soul. This was a sad, sad picture. 

Shortly after I was again called to aid another 
soul in its passage out of the body. This, unlike 
the other, was the home of poverty and want. 
Hers had been a life of kindness and love, not 



60 THOUGHTS FROM THE INNER LIFE. 

that she had fed the hungry, or clothed the desti- 
tute, for she had not these things to bestow, but 
her heart was overflowing with sweet sympathy, 
kind words, and tender acts. 

When she found herself freed from her worn 
and weary body, how her face gleamed with pleas- 
ure ! Everything looked beautiful to her, because 
she had taken her "heaven" with her. Her soul 
was full of joy; but when she noticed the beauti- 
ful garments of those about her, a timid feeling of 
shame came over her as she thought of her old, 
worn dress. Looking down upon it, — lo and 
behold ! it was fair and spotless, yet not so white 
as were the robes of those who had brightened 
their own by long years of labor in spirit-life ; still 
it was very beautiful. 

She fell upon her knees and poured forth her 
soul in thanksgiving to the Father of all good. 
She had given freely of the gems of her loving 
heart, and it had come back with tenfold interest. 

The other had given large sums from her boun- 
tiful store to great institutions, where it would be 
published to the world, and darkness and poverty 
surrounded her. 

She had lived only in the external, and when 
the attention and flattery she was wont to receive 
were taken away, sad and desolate, indeed, was 
her condition. 

Oh, the absolute poverty of such a soul! Her 
vanity had been great, but when she was stripped 



61 



of her material splendor, and stood face to face 
with her own soul-conditions, they were over- 
whelming. 

A friend asked her if she would like to go to 
her spirit-home. Hoping and thinking that she 
might find something more pleasant, she at once 
desired to be conducted thither. They took her 
to a desolate cottage where were a few articles of 
broken furniture, and a garden overgrown with 
weeds. She was amazed, and asked : " Why is 
this?" Her guide-companion answered : ''These 
are the treasures which you laid up in earth-life. 
Here we have only what we earn." She rushed 
wildly away, pride and remorse surging through 
her soul. She wandered for a long tiuie near the 
boundaries of earth ; but at length a chord was 
touched, and she sought the light, and is with you 
tonight seeking information. 

The other poor, humble soul was conducted to 
a home where she was greeted by many friends ; 
and, as she wandered through its beautiful and 
spacious apartments, she exclaimed : "What have 
I done to be worthy of so much happiness as this?" 
The answer came: "You have loved and served 
your fellow-mortals, and in this you have served 
God. Enter into the joys prepared by yourself." 
Papa and mamma, this may seem a simple 
story; but the desire of my heart is to bring to 
you and impress upon you the connection between 
mortal life and that of immortality. No one can 



62 THOUGHTS FROM THE INNER LIFE. 

be unhappy who has striven to love and uplift his 
fellow-beings; nor can anyone be happy who has 
failed to fulfill the obligations of his nature. — EvA. 

Children, I want you to take Christ as your 
example. I have found out that he is not God, 
but that he was sent as a light, a teacher, and an 
example. His life was beautiful, pure, and holy, 
and 1 want you to live by it. Tell mother I am 
with her every day. Only a little while — only a 
little while — and we will be reunited. [They 
lived together sixty-five years.] Children, I want 
you to pray more, and follow our Saviour. — Mr. 
Bailey's Father, who was a devout Methodist 
when he " entered into life." 

Reply by Mr. Fox. — Dear grandpa, salvation 
is not in prayer, nor singing, nor trusting in Christ, 
but in the consecration of great manly and womanly 
souls. Brotherhood is the corner-stone of the com- 
ing church. Humanity is the "Son of God," and 
the " Saviour " of the world. 

But prayer is good. Yes, grandpa, prayer is 
good. It opens the heart to the reception of truth. 

To THE Circle.— Grandpa is a grand old soul, 
but he needs to be led into broader fields ; he is 
coming up step by step. — Mr. Fox. 

Together have we of the inner, and you of the 
outer, life dr^nk from the sweet fountains of infi« 



eva's story. 63 

nite love- Together have we tried to learn and 
understand the wondrous workings of nature's 
laws, and, from its harmonious expressions, to 
comprehend more of the attributes of the govern- 
ing power of the universe. Together may we con- 
tinue to strive, while you remain in this earthly 
valley of doubts and fears, until Death unlocks the 
portals of your eternal existence, and we bid you 
a joyous welcome to that land of eternal sunlight 
where all things are bright and pure, where you 
will grasp the principles of eternal love, and com- 
prehend what is life and death. Then, together, 
we can pluck the sweet buds of thought, and the 
fairer flowers of wisdom, from the grand gardens 
of the celestial world. My soul dwells upon this 
thought ; and, when I am with you, I am anxious, 
and long for the time to come ; but when 1 rise 
into the spiritual atmosphere, I am content to wait 
until your earthly work is done, and well done. 

Eva. 

Aunty, I have been with my teacher to visit the 
poor and lonely. We take flowers to them, and 
they smell them with their souls, and have sweet 
thoughts, and feel better. — Little Bailey, a grand- 
nephew of Mr. and Mrs. Bailey, aged five years. 

You remember, I told you that children were 
placed in an intermediate condition, or sphere, and 
have to come back to get their earth-lessons. Now, 



64 THOUGHTS FROM THE INNER LIFE. 

mamma, you loved little Bailey when in the form, 
at]d through that love and tender feeling he is 
attracted to you,— brought back to gather, through 
you, some of the lessons of love which he missed 
by being taken away so young. It really is a mis- 
fortune for children to be taken away so young ; 
for though they escape all of the phj^sical suffering 
through which they would have had to pass had 
they remained longer upon earth, it also takes 
away from them the contrast between suffering 
and happiness. 

This is the first stage of existence ; and if, by 
death, we miss any of its experiences, we must 
come back and gather them as best we can— (I 
am exchanging thoughts with Bailey's teacher),— 
and we want to make a request of mamma, not to 
shrink from going where there is sorrow and suf- 
fering and death, for this little soul is so absorbed 
in your sphere, at the present time, that he can 
feel its meaning through your feeling. Mamma, 
this is a holy mission. You must think it over, 
and you will understand it better by reflection. 

Eva. 



'"^F"' 



CIRCLE XII. 



[All present, — The following was given in answer to 
questions regarding the formation of worlds.] 



FORMATION OF WORLDS. 



m 



^-^T^OU see the comet sweeping through the heav- 
ens, with its shining trail of fiery matter 
millions upon millions of miles in length. It is 
the out-creation formed of the cast-off matter from 
some sun or planet in process of development or 
purification. In the course of time, by the great 
law of reciprocal attraction, the fiery matter con- 
tained in its trail is gradually drawn to its nucleus, 
and it swells to greater rotundity. Its orbit 
is shortened, and continually approximates more 
nearly to a circle, and, after hundreds of millions 
of years of this refining process, it becomes a fixed 
planet, or world, similar to the one which is inhab- 
ited by you, — a world capable of producing and 
sustaining animal life, until at last we see man 
walking upright, head erect, and with powers of 



66 THOUGHTS FROM THE INNER LIFE. 

mind capable of controlling all below hira. Through 
the almighty power of natural law this refining 
process goes on and on — forever on — nntil the 
world is an abode for beings as pure as the gems 
that deck the brow of Omnipotence. This process 
of change and refinement is continually going on 
through all of the boundless realms of space. 
Some of the shining orbs which move in their 
glorious pathway were inhabited long before this 
planet — Earth — was even in the crude condition 
of a comet. 

The inhabitants of these older worlds are very 
beautiful, and understand far better than the peo- 
ple of earth the powers and purposes for which 
they were created. They suffer but little physical 
pain. They are so ethereal and refined that they 
suffer comparativel}^ little, and have no fears when 
called upon to make the change which you call 
"death." There is no sorrow nor mourning when 
one passes out of the body, because they under- 
stand the law, and all possess the power to com- 
municate with spirit friends whenever they need 
instruction or advice. They have outlived the 
crude conditions of your world, and are familiar 
with nature in all of its elaborate forms, and gaze 
upon its dazzling beauties without fear or restraint. 

There are other planets ages older even than 
these which we have been trying to describe to 
you, and, therefore, far more refined and gloriously 
divine. You know so little of the great Creative 



FORMATION OF WORLDS. 67 

Power that, were we possessed of all knowledge 
pertaining to these shining orbs, we could not 
bring it within the range of your feeble compre- 
hensions. Then, again, there are bodies of more 
recent birth, — dark, misshapen worlds, devoid of 
life, and covered with barren plains and parched- 
up deserts. Others there are covered with dense 
forests, and inhabited by poisonous reptiles, crawl- 
ing lizards, and creeping insects. Some upheaval 
or convulsion of nature will sweep them all away, 
but the germ of life will have been deposited, and 
will again come forth in higher forms. We know 
that this world, in its present state, has come up 
through the law of progression from a mass of 
crude matter in which no organic life could exist. 
And through this growth man has risen from one 
gradation to another until we find him endowed 
with immortality which his ancestors did not pos- 
sess (an ancient spirit impresses me) ; that, after 
years of refining unfoldment, the blood became 
possessed of a vitality of life which attracted to 
itself more of the ethereal elements and essence of 
the Infinite, and converted them into mind, reason, 
intelligence, and immortality. 

This is incomprehensible to you ; but you can- 
not comprehend the fact that, in a single drop of 
water, there are at the rate of eight hundred thou- 
sand perfect animal organizations ; and descending 
still below these there are many million gradations 
of organic life. 



68 THOUGHTS FROM THE INNER LIFE. 

Now, since we have found that this world has 
come up to its present status from crude matter, 
and through the law of progression and refinement 
has become a beautiful habitation, producing every- 
thing for the use of man, how necessary it is that 
he should study to understand and comprehend 
the capabilities of his own mind, endowed as it is 
with the attributes of Deity? Its scope is bound- 
less. 

It is said : " Man has harnessed the lightning, 
and made it subservient to his will ; that he has 
girdled the earth with an iron band." But all of 
this has come from higher minds. The eternal 
world feels the necessity of drawing out man's 
mind. 

You ask if our ancestors walked on 'Vail fours." 
In the cycles of evolution and progressive unfold- 
ment man developed from the lower animals. 

There is in man's physical organization an element 
of electricity, divided into three perfect grades, 
which Swedenborg terms "vegetable-motive ele- 
ment, animal-motive element, and the soul-motive 
element." The lower animals possess the two first 
of these, but not the last. This is the highest, and 
possessed by man only. It is the soul-motive ele- 
ment that makes man immortal, and links him to 
the eternal world. 

The story of Adam and Eve having been placed 
in the " Garden of Eden " is a myth. God, the 
Eternal, Almighty Father, makes no mistakes, nor 



FORMATION OF WORLDS. 69 

did he create a being opposed to himself. That 
which you call sin, or evil, is undeveloped good. 
The mission of spirits to earth is to teach mankind 
the philosophy of life. Man is beginning to put 
avray many foolish ideas and teachings, and there 
will be more progress for him in the fifty years to 
come than there has been in two hundred of those 
already passed. 

There are systems upon systems of worlds, some 
in the embryo state, others whose magnificent gran 
deur, refined beauty, and transcendent glory far 
outstretch the imagination of man, or the compre- 
hension of spirits. Man cannot calculate or num- 
ber the countless worlds that float in space. So 
Nature, which is the expression, or manifestation, 
of the spirit of God, labors on creating and refin- 
ing, casting off and gathering up, widening and 
lengthening, and ever reaching upward until it 
centers in one Mighty Power. And thus it will 
ever be until God ceases to be able to execute the 
laws which he has established. 

The law of progress pervades all things from the 
lowest particles of matter up to the highest sera- 
phim who sweep the farthest verge of infinite 
harmony, and revel in the light of eternal love. 
Each shining orb, or twinkling star, that gems the 
canopy of heaven, as it moves in its appointed 
course, joins in the universal anthem of eternal 
unfoldment. 

Man is the culmination of all things in nature, 



70 THOUGHTS FROM THE INNER LIFE. 

and all things diverge and converge toward the 
Infinite Center, which is God. ''Light is God." 
In light and electricity are all of the principles of 
life and motion. We cannot analyze or compre- 
hend these subtle forces ; but in wonder and admi- 
ration we behold the effects produced by their har- 
monious action. — EvA. 




CIRCLE XIII. 



VISITING PLANETS. 

r^y^(y E have been to visit some of the planets. 
'N^cY/- The one which we first visited is in a state 
of almost perfection. Its atmosphere is mild, soft, 
and balmy. Its trees are not overgrown, nor are 
they stunted, while their foliage is tinged with 
every imaginable shade of coloring, which makes 
them most beautiful to behold. The flowers are 
beautiful beyond description. Indeed, it is a world 
of flowers, of beauty and of peace, love, and har- 
mony. Its inhabitants are more uniform in size 
and hight than are those of your earth. The 
women are the most beautiful beings I ever beheld, 
having hair that reaches nearly to the ground, and 
of the color of burnished gold. Their eyes are 
large, full, and expressive. Their faces glow with 
beauty, love, and kindness. The men have great 
mental powers, symmetrical forms, and long, flow- 
ing beards. They seem to be transparent, for I 
could see the blood circulate. There are no old 



72 THOUGHTS FROM THE INNER LIFE. 

or decrepid people. They live so nearly in accord- 
ance with nature's laws that they are seldom sick, 
or suffer pain. They eat no animal food, but live 
on fruits and a kind of mushroom that grows pro- 
fusely everywhere. 

Few children are born to these people, and when 
it does occur, they are all intent upon the future 
well-being of the child, and the mother is sur- 
rounded with every pleasant and beautiful con- 
dition. 

In the city which we first visited, the houses are 
large and uniform, and built of variegated marble, 
which gives them a magnificent appearance. They 
are not square, nor are they round, but seem to be 
arranged in consecutive circles. I cannot describe 
them so that you will understand their structure, 
and will, therefore, pass them by. They are beau- 
tifully furnished. The walls are hung with heavy 
tapestry, beautifully interwoven with threads of 
silver and gold, which give them a grandeur you 
cannot imagine. 

There is no exclusiveness in these homes. Every- 
one seems as much at home in one place as in 
another. In the center of this city there is a very 
large structure. I never saw on earth so large 
. — so very, very high — a building. Its top is 
approached by winding stairs on the outside; and 
at regular intervals there is a sort of pavilion, 
where the people, ascending, stop to rest, con- 
verse, and partake of refreshment, if necessary. 



VISITING PLANETS. 73 

When I first looked upon it, 1 was reminded of 
pictures of the Tower of Babel, which I had seen 
in earth-life. Yet they were not alike. At the 
top of this building there is a very large room, 
divided by a curtain of the tapestry. On the oppo- 
site Avail there is a large mirror, or reflector. In 
this room all of the inhabitants of the city come 
to converse with, and receive counsel from, their 
spirit-friends. Behind this tapestry is an elevated 
platform, while in front the seats are so arranged 
that the people sit facing the mirror. 

The spirits materialize behind the screen, and 
when they are formed, they open the curtain and 
are reflected full size from the mirror ; and in this 
way they talk for hours, — and such wondrous wis- 
dom ! It thrilled our souls. 

There is no jarring, nor is time lost in vain 
regrets. The spirits commence by asking: "What 
is the wish and desire of those present?" And 
one by one each of the company states the subject 
upon which he desires to be instructed. 

In entering, there is no crowding or crushing ; 
but, when the seats are filled, the door is closed, 
and when these are dismissed they quietly retire, 
and others, as quietly, take their places. Every 
twelve days they have what they call a ''Council." 
No one enters the spirit-chamber on that day but 
the twelve councilors. These are great and wise 
men, chosen by the people to govern the affairs of 
the city. There are twentj^-four of them in all, 



74 THOUGHTS FEOM THE INNER LIFE. 

twelve of which meet at one time, while the 
remaining members convene twelve days after, 
thus making their sessions alternate. The lower 
part of this building is furnished and fitted up in 
the most splendid and magnificent manner. There 
is an atmosphere of beauty, of grandeur, and of 
comfort everywhere. 

Here is everything pertaining to the arts and 
sciences. Great libraries, with the works of ages, 
and musical instruments that not only produce 
sounds, but speak the words also. Everything is 
so far beyond anything in your world that I find 
it difficult to describe it to you. 

Here all those who are to become mothers have 
their every wish and desire gratified. Some are 
engaged in painting, some in music and sculpture, 
others in literature. Their is no restraint; they 
think, come, and go, and choose for themselves. 

There are some among these people who can 
leave the body, and go into the spirit-world. 
Sometimes they do not return for fifteen or twenty 
days ; and when they do come out of this trance 
state the people all gather to hear their beautiful 
words of instruction. They seem to be able to 
reach the understanding of their fellow-beings bet- 
ter than the spirits. 

We were informed by some spirits who had lived 
on this planet that in about a century it would 
begin to decline, and that its decline would be more 
rapid than its growth and progress had been ; 



VISITING PLANETS. 75 

also, that worlds are created, mature, grow old, 
and die. This statement was confirmed by the 
condition in which we found the next planet 
which we visited. It was a heaving, rolling, 
tumbling mass, seemingly devoid of the spirit of 
life. To me there seemed no power of adhesion 
or attraction. This may not be correctly ex- 
pressed. I am only giving my own simple ideas. 
It is an awful sight to see a world in the convul- 
sions of death. — Eva. 



'^^^^'^^ 



CIRCLE XIV. 



INFINITY OF WORLDS. 

4n7HE centrifugal action of these planets, or 
^1 worlds, becomes less, and, by the stronger 
attraction of the sun, or some other orb (but that 
you may better understand we will call it the sun), 
their orbits become shortened until the}^ are finally 
taken up by the sun, to be again tln^own off in par- 
ticles which continually accumulate and increase 
until they form a ring, or circle, around the cen- 
tral body, or sun. There is alwaj^s some point of 
attraction where these particles, or atoms, concen- 
trate, and thus a nucleus is formed. Eventually 
the circle breaks at its smallest, or thinnest part, 
and away shoots tlie nucleus, with its fiery trail, 
rushing through the heavens with the velocity of 
lightning until it loses its momentum, when it 
whirls around, and is brought back by the same 
laws that sent it forth. Reaching the point from 
whence it started, it is again repelled, to be again 
brought back, its course becoming more and more 
curved until an orbit is formed and a world begun. 



mFINITY OF WORLDS. 77 

Every world-child that is born into the solar fam- 
ily is more perfect than its elder brother. 

On, forever on, through the illimitable fields of 
space, are suns millions of times larger than the 
sun which lights your planet, as centers around 
which solar systems revolve; and yet greater and 
still grander systems of worlds revolving around 
these systems^ and so on, and on — forever on — 
until the soul is lost in wonder and praise. — EVA. 



^ 




CIRCLE XV 



[Our spirit-friends had previously taken leave of us to 
visit the City of Harmony ; and, after an absence of about 
tv70 w^eeks, they returned, and gave the following descrip- 
tion.] 



THE CITY OF HAHMONY. 



. ryuy E have had a happy and most blessed visit 
^nS^ to the City of Harmony. It is grand, mag- 
nificent, and beautiful beyond the power of mortal 
language to express. It is for the special and 
exclusive use of the great artists and musicians, 
and where they all go to graduate before ascend- 
ing to a higher sphere. 

Three times a year they have public entertain- 
ments, or, rather, the higher spirits, who have a 
care for and watch over the lower ones, invite 
those who have faithfully performed the work 
which they had undertaken to do in communicat- 
ing with mortals, and had formed what we call 
" a spirit band " for mutual strength and benefit. 
Sometimes a part of the band is thought worthy 



THE CITY OF HARMONY. 79 

to be invited to these wonderful entertainments, 
while the others are not. When such is the case, 
we always wait until the entire band can go 
together. 

When Mr. Fox first announced that we were 
about to receive an invitation, our beautiful, lov- 
ing sister Meta thought she was to be left out, 
because she had allowed herself to become dis- 
couraged, and had expressed a wish to withdraw 
from the field of earthly labor; but through our 
firm and steadfast friend and brother, Jim, she was 
held to the work until she has found those who 
reciprocate her love, and appreciate her labors. 
When she was told that she was to be one with 
us, she danced and clapped her hands like a child 
for very joy. 

I will now tell you of our visit to the City of 
Harmony. There were a hundred in our band; 
and when we arrived at the entrance to the city, we 
were met by a large company, who extended to us 
a most cordial and pleasant greeting. Many of 
them had instruments of music, some of which 
were similar to those used on earth, while others 
were unlike anything that we had ever before seen. 
These friends were appointed to escort us to the 
"Banquet Hall." On the way they commenced 
playing what they called "The Welcome," — soft 
and low at first, then swelling in volume and power 
— a magnificent symphony — until the whole atmos- 
phere seemed one mighty instrument of divine har- 



80 THOUGHTS FROM THE INNER LIFE. 

mony, and played upon by the god of music. Every 
leaf and every flower swayed in unison with the 
perfect harmony. 

Mr. Fox, who was at the head of our band, 
halted, and stood with lowly-bowed head. We all 
followed the movement. Dear Freddie, whose face 
was radiant with the love and inspiration that 
filled his soul, knelt at his feet with clasped hands, 
and thus we all remained until the heavenly strain 
ceased and died away. Mr. Fox then lifted his 
head, and said words which, to translate into mor- 
tal language, would be impossible. We were then 
conducted to an immense building, or hall, where 
everything that could contribute to the organic 
part of our being was most bountifully provided. 
This place is always open, and free to the inhabi- 
tants of the city, and here we remaiued for some 
time, drinking in the sweet magnetism until the 
excited feeling which we first experienced upon 
entering the city gave place to one of peaceful 
quiet. Then we were taken around to see the 
city, the architecture of which is unlike anything 
in earth-life, therefore I cannot describe it to you. 

We visited the great Gallery of Art, where were 
the most wonderful productions, — pictures of 
scenes in the higher spheres, and painted by 
higher spirits through mediums ; liere we found 
food for thought and study, and here we remained 
for days, or until we were told that the time had 
arrived for the great " Musical Entertainment." 



THE CITY OF HARMONY. 81 

We were here taken to a building that covered 
acres of ground. Its vastness, its beauty, grandeur, 
and magnificence cannot be imagined by mortal 
minds. 

We were here allowed the time and opportunity 
to look at and examine the wonderful musical 
instruments. 

There were instruments like all of those used on 
earth, and hundreds of others invented and used 
only in the spirit-spheres. We were informed that 
within fifty years instruments like some of the lat- 
ter would be made and used on earth. In the 
center of this immense building there were circu- 
lar platforms, one above the other, graduated, or 
drawn in toward the top, like a pyramid. 

On these were the instruments and the musical 
performers. And such beautiful-faced men and 
women ! 

They looked like those whom we saw upon the 
planet in its state of perfection, which we visited 
and formerly described. After they had all taken 
their places, there was a hushed silence for some 
moments. One of our guides said: "Look!" We 
turned toward the door, and saw a tall, dignified 
person whom the guide said was the leader. 

When he entered all arose to their feet, and 
remained standing until he had taken his place 
upon the platform. There was a calm quiet then 
for some minutes, when he stepped forward and 
silently waved his hand. At this signal there was 



82 THOUGHTS FROM THE INNEK LIFE. 

no sudden clash, such as you sometimes hear when 
the band strikes up, but a low, sweet thrill like 
the murmuring of the brooklet, gradually rising 
and swelling like the waves of the mighty ocean, 
until all space became filled with the glad har- 
mony. Such melody ! I cannot tell you what it 
was like. It was like the spirit body compared 
with the physical body. It was like the fully- 
developed man compared with the new-born infant. 
It was like the great, throbbing heart of the God 
of all life. It was the soul of all love, peace, and 
harmony. It was the immortal spirit of music. 
No human language can describe it. 

A large company escorted us out of the city 
Avhen we came away, and the band played a ten- 
der " Farewell." Man}^ thought-blossoms were 
exchanged here as we bade them a loving adieu. 

Eva. 



•^'•^^ 




CIRCLE XVI 



[This communication is from R. G. Stewart, an old friend 
of mine, with whom I had spolven very freely of our mani- 
festations ; but while he said the philosophy was beautiful, 
and wished he could believe as I did, yet he could not. — 
D. E. B.] 



SENSATIONS OF DYING. 



i;^ 



^rpHERE is nothing so terrible in dying as, in 



mortal life, I sometimes imagined. It is 
rather pleasurable than otherwise. I mean at the 
time of dissolution, when friends, looking on, see 
the physical distortions, and think that the suffer- 
ing must be great. With me there was a sort of 
shudder, not unpleasant, then a thrill passed over 
me, and all was calm, still, and quiet. I thought: 
'^This must be paralysis." Then a breaking away 
— a gentle drifting out — and what surprised me 
most of all was that T could hear my friends tldnk 
all over the city, far and near. Then a great flood 
of light came, and I was standing beside my old 
body. This seemed wondrous strange. I then 



84 THOUGHTS FROM THE INNER LIFE. 

slept awhile, and when I awoke from this slumber 
pleasant faces surrounded me, and life seemed so 
real and natural that I could hardly believe I had 
died. 

It was proposed that I return to earth, to which 
I gladly acceded, thinking, perhaps, it would 
explain this mystery, or spell, that was upon me. 
When we reached my home, they were preparing 
for the funeral. I gazed long upon that which 
was I, or, I should say, the outward expression of 
me. It seemed very wonderful, but so reasonable, 
rational, and consistent that I wondered I had 
ever doubted the truth of a continued life. 

With the " compliments of the season," and 
good wishes of— R. G. Stewart. 



CIRCLE XVII. 



[This sister Sally is one of tlie many who are receiving 
assistance to a liigher plane from our spirit-band.] 



SISTER SALLY. 

X^UR sister Sally is here — poor sister Sally — 
^^ and we wish you all to give her a kind greet- 
ing, for a chord has been touched in her being for 
the first time, and she is beginning to regard you 
as friends. 

It is a great thing, and should be considered a 
grand privilege, to be instrumental in rescuing any 
of these poor souls from the bonds which their 
earthly mistakes have fastened upon them. 

In her case you can see the terrible results of 
an inebriate life. Death changes the condition, 
but not the appetite. This must be subdued 
through will and effort. This appetite has fast- 
ened her to earth, but here she can now gather 
strength, and get an insight into her awful con- 
dition. 



86 THOUGHTS FROM THE INNER LIFE. 

This, too, will help those who love her to assist 
her to rise, for there are many to whom she is 
very dear, and through our joint efforts we hope 
to lift her from these earth-bound conditions, and, 
in this way, to be of material benefit, not only to 
her, but to one another. — Eva. 

Children, I want you to pray. Praj^er is like 
putting windows into your house through which 
to let the sunshine enter. Prayer lets the light of 
truth and inspiration into the soul. — Mr. Bailey's 
Father. 




CIRCLE XVIII. 



[Members of the circle all present. — The author of this 
commimication — Thomas Courtright — and myself were the 
closest of friends throughout childhood and manhood. — 
D. E. B.] 



CHRIST AS A TEACHER. 

VERY soul in spirit-life who has suffered 
.^^^ from blind superstition or religious bigotry 
is anxious to teach others a better philosophy and 
a purer religion ; not to fear God, but to feel that 
He is a good, kind, and tender Parent, who has no 
pleasure in the punishment and destruction of 
His human children, and that all suffering comes 
through disobedience of law. 

Life, death, suffering, sorrow, and joy are all in 
accordance with established law, incapable of trans- 
formation or contra version. 

Many persons believe that Christ's was the great- 
est mind ever produced on earth in any age. Not 
so. Today there are greater than he, because the 



»<5 THOUGHTS FEOM THE INNER LIFE. 

world is capable of greater expansion of mind and 
brain-power. 

The sayings and teachings of Christ are thought 
to have been original with himself. This is not 
so. They were borrowed mostly from the Book of 
Enoch, which was written a hundred years before 
Christ's time. 

The "Lord's Prayer" was written, verbatim, 
in the Talmud long before Christ's time. Jesus 
Christ had great magnetic power to heal the sick, 
and to restore sight to the blind ; in this he zvas 
the " Saviour " of the world. 

Sivedenborg had less magnetic power, but greater 
clairvoyance, which gave him better and truer con- 
ceptions of spirit-life. Christ taught the Jewish 
belief of eternal punishment in a lake of fire and 
brimstone. Swedenborg, with his greater clairvoy- 
ance, pierced the darkness and gloom, swung ajar 
the golden gates of the celestial world, and let the 
glorious sunlight of eternal progression shine down 
into human souls, warming them with new life and 
hope. 

Christ taught an angry God, — angry every day 
with the helpless beings He Himself had created. 

Thomas Paine taught a God of harmonious love, 
sublimest wisdom, and beneficence. 

The effect of all laiv is to lift man higher. God 
himself cannot forgive the sin of violated law. 

The great minds that have shone like beacon- 
lights all along down the vista of the ages have 



CHRIST AS A TEACHER. 89 

given iieAv thoughts to the world, but their follow- 
ers have repeated their words over and over again 
instead of using them as a key with which to 
unlock the treasure-house of greater wisdom and 
knowledge. This will be so no longer. Human- 
ity is becoming individualized, and refuses to pin 
its faith on the sleeve of any one individual. 
Legions of spirits are giving their own individual 
experiences to the world every day and every 
hour. These experiences related by spirits, and 
differing, as many of them do, from one another, 
all tend to show the advantage to man of living a 
good and pure life. They teach him how to under- 
stand and obey the laws of his being. They open to 
his wondering gaze the surprising realities of spirit 
existence. 

They lead him out into broader fields of thought 
and investigation. He questions : "What and 
where is God ? " And Reason, Philosophy, and 
Science answer and tell him that the only way he 
can reach or serve God is through his fellow- 
beings ; that God's temple is the vast universe, 
and every man a priest, and every woman a priest- 
ess ; tliat ever}^ temple built by human hands only 
serves to cramp and impoverish tlie soul, and that 
every act a person is able to perform, in word or 
deed, wliich lifts a mortal into a happier condition 
is worth a hundred sermons repeated by pampered 
priests beneath a gilded dome. 

It is the work of the spirits to undermine these 



90 THOUGHTS FROM THE INNER LIFE. 

crumbling monuments of the dead past, no longer 
needed, and erect upon their moldering remains 
the Temple of Universal Brotherhood, where all 
can work together, through the light of reason, 
unfolding all of the faculties and capabilities of 
the human being ; where every experience will be 
recognized as a lesson given to lead man up into 
a better and brighter condition, and where his 
faculties will be no longer paralyzed by human 
limitation. — Thomas Courtright. 

Mamma and papa, I want to tell you that every 
one of your benevolent acts, every sorrowing heart 
that you make happy, every tender word spoken 
to earth's sorrowing ones, is wafted to me in my 
eternal home like the perfume of immortal flowers. 
They help me to press on. They give me strength 
to perform the duties and labors which stretch out 
before me. Mamma, God bless you. 

Oh, papa and mamma, accept my deepest love. 

Eva. 

True religion knows no difference or distinction 
between the children of earth. It stretches out 
the white hand of brotherly love to grasp the 
rough and horny hand of poverty. It weaves, 
from its own purit}^ garments of beauty with 
which to cover the morally deformed. It visits 
the prison-house, gathering to its warm, throbbing 
heart the lowly and forsaken, whispering sweet 



CHRIST AS A TEACHER. 91 

words of hope and pity; and when man is dealing 
out stern justice to his fellow man, it raises its 
warning finger, and, pointing to ante-natal condi- 
tions, exclaims with streaming eyes : " Pity, oh, 
pity! 'There are none altogether good; no, not 
one.' " It judges not from outward appearances, 
but by the magic word of love, and brings forth 
the hidden treasures of the human soul. It feeds 
the hungry, clothes the naked, visits the widow 
and the fatherless, and, hovering around the couch 
of the sick and dying, soothes the aching brow and 
moistens the parched lips. It lifts the dark veil 
of ignorance, and points to the sublime hights of 
infinite possibilities. 

This is from her whom they call '' The Star of 
Heaven." — AcHSA S Prague. 



■•►^cA^.. 




CIRCLE XIX. 



MATERIALIZATION. 

t'TPHE great, noble souls — whose lives were 
§^ devoted to the study of life, being, and the 
laws of nature, and whose long experience in 
spirit-life has made them familiar with the laws of 
chemistry — understand how, bypassing mediums 
under a certain law, to dematerialize the whole or 
a part of their bodies, and by blending the ele- 
ments thus obtained with the elements which they 
have the power to take or produce from the atmos- 
phere of the earth, they can materialize hands, faces, 
lungs, organs of speech, and, too, for a brief period, 
whole forms are so materialized as to be natural 
flesh-and-blood bodies. These changes can only be 
produced by chemical forces, the medium being the 
negative element in operation. Now, to produce 
these manifestations and materializations satisfac- 
torily there must be perfect harmony. 

These bodies cannot be permanent, the elements 
forming them having been borrowed as it were for 



MATERIALTZATIOK. 93 

the occasion. I repeat, there can be no perma- 
nency; hence, when the law which governs, and 
under which these wonderful changes are pro- 
duced, is suspended, they return to the medium, 
and in their original condition. If allowed to go 
back in a harmonious manner, they will gather 
strength from time to time, and beautiful results 
will be obtained ; but if the repellent power of 
rude contact be brought to bear upon these ten- 
derly-formed bodies, they rush back only partially 
dematerialized, thereby doing great injury, not 
only to the medium and others, but also to the 
spirits. 

Surrounding every person is an aura, and this 
aura remaining in a solution around the medium 
more than others is taken up and used by the 
spirits to shape and form the atomic structure 
which becomes visible to your physical senses. 

Now, all of this is in accordance with laws not 
known to science, and only properly known by the 
great chemists of the spirit-world. Sometimes 
ignorant spirits, through undeveloped mediums, 
attempt materialization, and, when they fail, they 
will control and present the medium. 

Now, this is not always done to deceive, but 
comes through tlie great anxiety of friends, and 
the desire of the spirits to please ; and sometimes, 
when they get full control of the medium, they 
feel so much at home that they hardly recognize 
the difference. 



94 THOUGHTS FEOM THE INNEE LIFE. 

The medium, as previously stated, is the nega- 
tive element used to produce materializations. If 
disembodied spirits can influence and control those 
undeveloped mediums, so, too, can spirits in the 
form ; and when a strong influence is brought to 
bear they are sometimes taken from the control of 
the spirits, and manifestations strange and peculiar 
take place. 

Many earnest truth-seekers, thoughtful men and 
women, are beginning to feel the necessity of pro- 
tecting these poor, sensitive, and sometimes simple 
beings, by surrounding them with harmonious con- 
ditions until they become fully developed, and 
understand something of the law. 

The spirit accepts any instrument through which 
it can speak to humanity. Many of these instru- 
ments are far from good or moral ; but it must be 
remembered that there are countless myriads of 
spirits whose whole lives have been filled with evil 
and wrong-doing; these, hovering as they do in 
the atmosphere of earth, seize upon these negative 
ones, and, through them, give expression to their 
evil propensities. 

When tifteen or twenty persons come in one day 
to have seances with a medium, may it not be 
natural and reasonable to suppose that, in this pro- 
miscuous company, there may be some unpleasant 
and mischievous spirits? And what may seem 
strange, they do not always leave with those who 
bring them, but remain and cause the medium to do 



IVEATERTALTZATION. 95 

strange, unaccountable, and sometimes disgusting 
things. Many of the mediums are not fit, and should 
not be allowed, to travel through the country alone ; 
but some wise, good person — one who is capable of 
exorcising these foolish, ignorant spirits — should 
be appointed to take charge of them. — Lorenzo 
Dow. 







CIRCLE XX. 



[This is from one who takes charge of the band in the 
absence of Mr. Fox and others.] 



SPIRITUAL AND PHYSICAL LAWS. 

4n^HIS mundane sphere is governed only by the 
^^ expression of matter. The spirit-realms are 
governed by mind. The spirit law transcends the 
material or physical law, associated as it is with 
matter. Under the spiritual law, weight loses its 
accuracy, gravitation is overcome, and matter is in 
no degree solid. 

Spirits understand the science of the inner as 
well as of the outer life, and by the harmonious 
blending of the two they can disintegrate matter, 
separate atoms and fibers; they can dissolve and 
reunite. 

To the spirit who has spent a life-time in search- 
ing for knowledge, the study of these beautiful 
laws makes a far brighter and happier " heaven " 
than the singing of praises through an endless eter- 



SPIRITUAL AND PHYSICAL LAWS. 97 

nity. Such a soul would implore the Almighty 
to relieve him from His "light hand," if only for 
a day, that he might return to his laboratory on 
earth, and complete his unfinished work. — Mago- 

ZONA. 




CIRCLE XXI. 



[We thank Thee, O Father of all light, that death cannot 
take away the attributes of the soul. We thank Thee that 
the icy finger of the dark-winged angel cannot dispel the 
immortal experiences of the soul. May the spirit of all truth, 
all goodness, and divine love rest and abide in your souls, 
and find expression in your daily lives. — Mr. Fox.] 



THE SEEDS OF TRUTH. 



H, papa and mamma, it is now four years 
since we knocked at the door of your hearts, 
which swung gently open and allowed us to enter 
into the sanctuary of your souls. 

To us this mingling of the two worlds has been 
sweet, pleasant, and profitable. ,; 

Sometimes the bitter spirit of prejudice, from 
those whom you love and respect, has pierced and 
chilled your warm, loving hearts, but you have 
stood firm to the great cause of truth. We have 
ofttimes borne the glad news to our spirit-home, 
and great and holy ones have responded by coming 



THE SEEDS OF TRUTH. 99 

and imparting to you the pure magnetism of their 
own beautiful lives. 

You have sown the seeds ; some have fallen on 
stony ground, and some have found a little, shal- 
low soil where they sprang up and flourished for 
a day; but as soon as the cold winds of opposition 
swept over them, they withered and died; but 
some have fallen into the rich mold of earnest 
investigation, where they will ripen into fair fruit 
to bless you in the coming time. 

You have made glad many sorrowing hearts ; 
you have done an incalculable amount of good. 

Eya. 




CIRCLE XXII. 



SPIRITUAL POVERTY. 

'^O you ever think or try to realize how grand 
and glorious it is to live on and on, — forever 
on, — that there is no end, but an eternal future 
wherein to nnfold the endless capabilities of tiie 
soul? We who have seen its glories and tasted its 
sweets would gladly testify to its realities, but we 
can command no language strong enough to con- 
vey to your minds an idea of the hights and depths 
of immortality, or the capabilities of that spark of 
divinity — the human soul. The sands upon the 
sea shore cannot number the years of the soul. 
We can only, in our humble way, give a few glean- 
ings that may enlighten, as they may also enrich 
or ennoble, your future experiences while you tarry 
in earth-life. 

We desire to help you, if only one step higher. 
We would also help these poor, sinning, sorrowing 
souls who come to our circle from time to time. 

He who stands near, and who was once crowned 
with earthly honors, but whose soul is now impov- 



SPIRITUAL POVERTY. 101 

erislied, is one whose actions were all with an eye 
single to his own aggrandizement. 

In earth-life this man counted his wealth by 
thousands, and was surrounded with every mate- 
rial comfort and luxury. Now he must stand face 
to face with his own impoverished soul. There is 
no escape. He cannot change himself by saying : 
"I am sorry; forgive me." No; God himself can- 
not forgive him ; and if all heaven were to plead 
for him, it could not change the immutable laws 
of his being. Before he can drink in and enjoy 
spirit-life really, he must, through much labor, 
atone for the sins of the past. He cannot get 
away from the earth, but must remain in its atmos- 
phere, seeking every opportunity to right the 
wrongs of a misspent life. How long it may take 
him we cannot say. There were no faces smiling, 
nor white hands waving, a joyous welcome to him ; 
but, instead, were seen bent forms, pinched faces, 
and trembling fingers that had stitched away the 
sunny days of youth in adding to his selfish greed. 
A sad, sad picture I But "the wages of sin is 
death." To him death was over all. 

You may wonder why this soul should come to 
you. He comes through the magnetic forces of 
those spirit-friends who have been attracted to you 
through his mother, and the band allowed him to 
express himself, not alone to afford relief to him, 
but also to make you feel the truth that there is 
something more in Spiritualism than simply talk- 



102 THOUGHTS FROM THE IXNER LIFE. 

ing with your own loved friends, sweet and beauti- 
ful as this may be to you and to them. 

They would have these lessons take hold upon 
your lives, making them sublimely eloquent, God- 
like, and pure. — EvA. 




CIRCLE XXIII. 



[Members all present. — This to J. F. Blair, my brother- 
in-law.— D. E. B.] 



WHY SPIRITS RETURK. 

iROTHER, the golden gates of spirit-life are 
^ ever open. Spirits can and do return to bless 
the sorrowful and comfort the hearts of the mourn- 
ers. They must return to gather mortal condi- 
tions, to unlearn much that they have acquired in 
the form, and to make room for higher, holier, 
grander thoughts and aspirations. They come 
back as beacons to point the way by giving their 
own varied experiences. 

They would tell you what is nature. Nature is 
the manifestation of God's love and power. Nature 
is the materialization of God's thought expressing 
itself in outward form to mortal vision. They 
would tell you of a higher and purer life to live. 

Brother, to you the path is beginning to narrow. 
The shadows are beginning to lengthen ; the sun 



104 THOUGHTS FROM THE INNER LIFE. 

is in the west, and life's day is merging into the 
twilight of death. 

Oh, live so in harmony with spirit-laws that 
your body may bloom into a fair and beautiful 
soul, growing brighter until it shall blossom like 
the stars in glory. — Orris Blaik. 



*^'*^^ 



CIRCLE XXIV. 



THE MAGNETIC FLUID. 



^nnHE magnetic fluid emanating from a human 
<^ body is of a whitish color, and is the primary, 



vital, life-principle, — the subtle light. It pervades, 
or is diffused through, all matter. When a body 
is moved rapidly this fluid becomes brilliantly 
white. It is not electricity, as it is often called, 
but the saving angel of the soul. All humanity 
have the power, insensibly, to give and to receive 
this magnetic fluid. The sick or feeble could not 
recover were it not for the power which they pos- 
sess to draw this vitalizing life-principle from those 
surrounding them. 

Many times you will see a patient rapidly gain- 
ing, and then, without apparent cause, begin to 
sink. 

Magnetizers, and persons having care of the 
sick, should never, under any circumstances, enter 
the sick room in a state of anger or impatience, 
for anger always changes this life-giving fluid into 



106 THOUGHTS FEOM THE INNER LIFE. 

poison, and, instead of restoring and building up, 
it breaks down and destroys. 

All healthy persons impart more or less of this 
fluid to invalids, who draw from them ; but the 
magnetizers, or "healing mediums," as they are 
called, have a superabundance of this life-current, 
which is combined with the spirit-magnetism of 
the spirit-control. — Thomas Courtright. 



i: 



CIRCLE XXV. 



Our Father, we would ask Thee to bless us ; we would ask 
Thee to wrap the mantle of Thy love around us. 

O God, we do not expect Thee to grant all our petitions ; 
but, in the asking, our souls are brought nearer to Thee. 

Some say that there is no God, because they cannot com- 
prehend Thee ; but, as the sun is the parent of the earth, so 
art Thou the Parent of all suns, of all solar systems, and of 
alllife. — Mr. Fox. 



THE FRAGRANCE OF A LOVING HEART. 

^j^TE would have you strive to develop the best 
^^§^ and noblest qualities of your being. Do 
all that you can to live a pure and good life, so far 
as your earthly circumstances and surroundings 
will allow. 

We know there are many stumbling-blocks in 
the way, and much to weigh down the soul that 
would rise ; but the darkest and most grievous 
events of mortal life, if taken as lessons and pati- 
ently borne, will work out for you better condi- 
tions and greater possibilities. 



108 THOUGHTS FROM THE INNER LIFE. 

If you labor to envelope yourselves in an atmos- 
phere of love and harmon}^, you will essentially 
aid those who love you, and are endeavoring, day 
by day, to bring you to a higher condition. 

The influence and example of a kind nature are 
of priceless value. 

And of how much more account is man than are 
the flowers ? 

The rose, all unmindful of its sweetness, sends 
forth its fragrance on the passing breeze, to be 
inhaled by the weary traveler who lingers by the 
wayside to admire its beauties, and thank God for 
the rose. 

The fragrance of a loving heart goes forth 
encircling many, and, through the many, encirc- 
ling many more. Like the pebble thrown upon 
the bosom of the placid lake, it ripples away, circ- 
ling wider and wider until it reaches the farthest 
shore. 

The rose may be placed in unfavorable condi- 
tions; it may spring into life among rocks or 
stones ; it may have to draw its sustenance from 
the hard, impoverished soil, and yet it struggles 
on, giving freely of its heart's sweetness to bless 
the children of toil. 

Oftentimes a kind word, a pleasant smile, or a 
cordial grasp of the hand will do more to lighten 
the sorrowing soul than the bestowal of charitable 
gifts. 



THE fhagrance of a loving heart. 109 

The aroma of a million flowers has not the 
sweetness of a tender, loving word. 

There are those whose souls blossom with the 
fragrance of love. Their presence makes us glad, 
and we go from them stronger and more peaceful. 

Papa, this is from uncle John's brother, OnRis 
Blair. 



■"^F" 




0^^ 



CIRCLE XXVI 



HEAVEN IS WHERE THE LOVED ARE. 

UCH has been said, and there is still much 
talk, about the glories of heaven and its 
enjoyments, but think you all of the spendor of 
the eternal world could compensate the soul for 
the separation from or the loss of its loved ones? 
No ; it is the knowledge that it can return, bring- 
ing the sweet love and wisdom which it has gath- 
ered from the life divine that makes the soul's 
heaven. 

To know and to be known, to love and to be 
loved, to be assured that eventually all will be 
gathered into the immortal heritage, — this is, 
indeed, heaven. All else is but the expression or 
manifestation of this. 

Selfishness is not love. Love is freedom, confi- 
dence, and trust. 

Husbands and wives should feel that each has 
individual rights to be honored and respected by 
the other. Neither should ever attempt to coerce, 



HEAVEN IS WHERE THE LOVED ARE. Ill 

or in any way control. This begets anger, and 
leads to contempt and hatred. If there be a spirit- 
union between two persons, this union will be 
eternal. 

There are many living together in this relation 
on earth who are nothing, or who become nothing, 
to each other in the land of souls. — Eva. 





CIRCLE XXVII. 



Our Infinite Parent, we ask Thee and those above ns to 
help these earthly children on their way; and, O Father, 
give ns of Thy spirit that we may help and uplift those who 
are earth-bound. — Mr. Fox. 



THE POWER OF UNSELFISHNESS. 

fjfevEAR papa and mamma, I would have you live 
^^ good and true lives ; not alone for the good 
or benefit which it may bring to you, but because 
you will thereb}^ bless those around you. No one 
can strive to live an unselfish life without being 
instrumental in uplifting human souls. 

The subtle power of unselfish kindness will reach 
beyond this mundane world, and bind around you 
a chaplet of unfading glory whose resplendent rays 
will light the way for struggling souls through all 
the coming ages. 

I feel a desire to urge and incite you to every 
good and noble work, for every day and every 



THE POWEE OF UNSELFISHNESS. 113 

hour I more fully realize how brief this mortal 
life is. 

There is an endless future before you, but that 
future will be colored and shaded by the acts of 
this life. 

Do not overlook the spirit in j^our care for the 
material, for the mind is more than the body, the 
spirit is more than the mind, and the soul is over 
and above all. 

At this time myriads of spirits are hovering 
around you. It is a season when humanity is 
more negative to the influences of the higher life. 
This is the season when human hearts are stirred 
with love and kindly feeling one toward another, 
and as we cherish all of the beautiful associations 
of our former lives, so shall our spirit lives, in all 
things good, correspond similarly to your own. 

We, too, are having our Christmas season. The 
joy of ours is the result, or reflex, of yours, for it 
is the work of the spirits to gather the glittering 
jewels of tender tlioughtfulness, and arrange them 
in the mighty storehouse of your future lives. 

Many little tokens of kind remembrance that 
have caused the tear of gratitude to start, or 
touched the tender chord of love in some human 
soul, perchance by you long since forgotten, will 
then meet and surprise you with their sparkling 
glory. 

The religion that Jesus taught was : "Love one 
another," Do good one to another, even "as ye 



114 



THOUGHTS FROM THE INNER LIFE. 



would that men should do to you." This is all of 
religion. 

To live a good life is not merely to refrain from 
wrong-doing, but rather to dissipate the anguish 
stamped upon human features, by blessing the 
world and marking it better for your living in it. 

Eva. 



CIRCLE XXVIII 



THERE IS NO DEATH. 

'^rnHERE is no death, — only a coming in, and a 
§^ going oat. That which passes from essence 
into nature is called birth ; that which passes from 
nature into essence is called death. The universe 
is onl}^ man diffused. Man is the culmination of 
all the forces in nature. 

There is a strong wave of love and affection 
from the soul-world bearing you onward and 
upward. 

The evidence of an eternal existence has been 
vouchsafed to you as a protecting bulwark to 
your mortal life. From every earthly experience 
endeavor to draw power and strength to walk, 
side by side, with the great and mighty workers 
and thinkers of the immortal spheres. 

This is the primary condition of the great school 
of eternal progress. Its longest term bears no com- 
parison with that higher grade which reaches out 
and blends with the borders of infinitude. 



116 THOUGHTS FROM THE INNER LIFE. 

It fills my soul with joy to feel that you are 
steadily traveling upward, daily getting clearer 
comprehension and understanding of the lessons 
which we are trying constantly to inculcate. By 
your individual experiences the beauties of immor- 
tality are registered in your lives. 

Through the white light of love, which streams 
down from the angel world, your natures are capa- 
ble of unfolding, like the beautiful flowers, into 
pure and perfect blossoms — Eva. 

My dear friends, in my life I had no faith, no 
belief, in immortality. I believed that when we 
passed from earthly conditions it was all over with 
us, and the last. Nor did I believe in a Supreme 
Being. But now I would say to you, there is a 
God, a Center Soul, a Center Thought, from whom 
all things spring. If you endeavor to understand 
his laws, and live in accordance with them, you 
will reap the results, which will be joy and peace- 
fulness to you. 

God made the world for you ; not you for the 
world. He has given to you bodies and souls. He 
has bequeathed to you reason and understanding. 

These very gifts imply action. Fear not to exer- 
cise that fairest blossom of immortality — reason. 

R. G. Stewart. 



CIRCLE XXIX 



THE MOUNTAIN OF EXPERIENCE. 
^JlVf/r AY the sorrows and trials of life purify your 



c^^pfe spirits. May every mistake be a lesson for 
good, showing the way to something better, — a 
warning to be more careful in the future. The 
way may be rough and uneven, full of the piercing 
thorns of persecution and adversity, but it is the 
grand pathway which leads up the mountain of 
experience, whose summit is bathed in the sun- 
light of eternal peace. 

Darkness and sorrow are but stepping-stones to 
light and joy. Every sorrow, every heart-throb of 
anguish is fragrant with the sweet breath of un- 
foldment. 

Every trial is an index-finger pointing to more 
lofty hights, where the shadows are changed to 
the radiant light which crowns with glory the 
archways of heaven. 

We would have you gather all truth ; and may 
a fore-glimpse of spirit-life, glimmering down from 



118 THOUGHTS FEOM THE INNER LIFE. 

realms above, light your pathway, and aid your 
trembling footsteps along the uneven corridors of 
human life until you reach the loftiest bights of 
mortal grandeur, where you will find freedom and 
exalted powers. 

And when your freedom will have become avail- 
able, we would Lave you gather the light of the 
summer-land into your souls ; for if you do not 
weave its colorings into the woof of your mortal 
lives, you may be a long time in finding it when 
you reach the hereafter. — EvA. 



CIRCLE XXX. 



O mig-lity and lioly spirits, draw near nnto ns tonight, and 
teacli lis to forgive that we may be forgiven. — Mr. Fox. 



NO DEFINED SEPARATION. 



x;^ 



^'TPO HIS Wife. — The separation was hard for 



both of us until I was shown the usefuhiess, 
the beauty, and the tangibility of phj^sical death. 
My girl, there is no actual, defined separation. The 
body, which was built up of earth-food, goes back 
and mingles with the elements from which it came, 
but not so the spirit. The ego, the I, who loved 
you, and who cherished and talked to you, lives, 
lives, and will continue to live, and for a grander 
purpose than earth can give. — Thomas Court- 
eight. 



To Mr. Bailey. — Daniel, I thank you for the 
privilege of coming to yon. How I have longed 
to reach the heart of my companion, and now she 



begins to feel and realize it. 



120 THOUGHTS FROM THE INNER LIFE. 

The question is often asked: ''What is the use 
of spirit-rappings and knockings ? " I answer : they 
are the throbbing pulsations of an invisible world. 
Every tiny rap is the heart-beat of some earnest 
and anxious soul longing to impart the glad tid- 
ings of a continued life. It may be the husband 
striving to say to his wife : " I am not dead, but 
would comfort, guard, and guide you. The golden 
love-links that bound our lives together are not 
severed, only expanded and glorified; and. by and 
by there will be a glad reunion, an immortal wed- 
lock." 

A daughter may return, glowing with that 
grander knowledge obtained in the world above, 
and, by the gentle rap, the physical senses of the 
parents are reached, and through these senses the 
spiritual is awakened, and they listen while she 
says : " I am your child. She whom you mourned 
as lost. I would tell 3^ou how beautiful to me has 
been the change. I love you the same as of old. 
I am the same^ only freed from the clogs of mate- 
riality." Is not this of account f And is it not 
worth both the living and the dying, too? — Thos. 
COURTRIGHT. 



CIRCLE XXXI 



WE HEAP WHAT WE SOW. 

VERYTHING of religion, of science, and of 
-j^^ philosophy that you possess and enjoy has 
been purchased by the hard labor and suffering of 
philosophers and reformers of past ages. That 
which in sorrow they sowed and planted, and 
watered with tears and blood, has yielded to you 
a rich harvest of golden fruit and spiritual knowl- 
edge ; and you are the outgrowth of the past. So 
will you leave your life-legacy to those who come 
after or succeed you. 

May your individual life-labors be so well per- 
formed that no break will be made nor €;topping 
necessary to correct the follies — the persistent 
follies — of the past. 

I see so many coming into the spirit-world who 
possessed good, kind hearts, and who, at times, 
labored earnestly for the right, and tried to ad- 
vance the truth, but who, under the pressure of 
public opinion, became discouraged, faint-hearted, 

121 



122 THOUGHTS FEOM THE INNER LIFE. 

and full of doubt. These find homes correspond- 
ing to their lives. 

No beautiful gardens, nor lovely grounds with 
fair prospects, but a tangled wildwood, with here 
and there an occasional patch of bright flowers and 
fragrant blossoms, and again overgrown and over- 
run with rank weeds. 

The law of cause and effect is unyielding. What 
we sow even that must we reap. I tell you this 
that you may try and understand the law, and 
conform to its inevitable purposes ; for you know 
that Time sits at the loom and silently plies the 
shuttle while weaving the strangely-variegated 
woof into the web of human life. And every 
hour, while here in this nursery-existence, you are 
preparing the bright threads of gold with which 
to beautify and strengthen, or the dark, uneven 
shadings to mar and weaken, this web that reaches 
beyond your mortal life. — EvA. 



ro^^ 



CIRCLE XXXII 



BROKEN CRUMBS. 

^|r CANNOT express my gratitude to you for 
^ the privilege of coming. To me it seems the 
greatest of all blessings. 

The spirit-world is now able to impart only 
broken crumbs compared with that which it will 
be able to give when the angr}?- waves of opposi- 
tion and ignorance shall have calmed down into 
the gentle ripplings of love and harmony.- It is 
sometimes very hard for a gentle, loving spirit to 
overcome or penetrate the cold, dark wave of 
unbelief; and yet, beneath all of this opposition 
and hardness, we can see the vital forces at work 
which are destined to bring forth the grandest 
science of the soul. 

It is often the case when a spirit finds, for the 
first time, an opportunity to communicate with 
friends that all of the thoughts and feelings of the 
lost days of earth-life rush through his mind, affect- 
ing him very much; and, unless he can have the 
sincere sympathy and encouragement of his friends, 
he cannot express himself. — - Thos. Courtright. 



CIRCLE XXXIII 



SOUL-GEOWTH. 

EHAYE found out, or ascertained, one thing 
since I was here before. As soon as the spirit 
is developed it begets a conscious condition, and 
feels the full responsibility of its past life. He 
sorrows for the acts committed through ignorance 
and the force of circumstances, and endeavors to 
counteract their evil effects; but he does not feel 
that keen anguish for these mistakes which he feels 
for wrongs committed against his own judgment. 

Death at sixty and seventy years is natural. 
The spirit becomes expanded, and requires a new 
and different body through which to express itself. 
So it is with the spirit all through spirit-life. It is 
not subject to a physical death, such as mortals 
pass through ; but, as the soul advances, it throws 
off all that tends to clog, impede, or hinder its 
progress. 

Thought is that which is immortal. It throws 
off lower and takes on higher forms, as the need 
arises. 



SOUL-GROWTH. 125 

Matter is not inwrought in soul. Matter is dis- 
tinct, and is that which is acted upon b}^ spirit. 

Thouglit is seen and understood through the 
magnetic currents. Everything, however slight, 
that transpired, every action of my whole life, is 
now clearly visible. The smallest misdeeds are 
perfectly distinct. Indeed, they seem as eternal 
as the soul itself. At first, this seemed strange to 
me, but now it is all made clear. — R. G. Stewart. 



CIRCLE XXXIV. 



THE TOKCH OF IMMORTALITY. 

"^O^O Mrs. Husted. — It was only the dust of 
^§^ your darling that was buried out of your 
sight. It went back to "mother earth" to mingle 
with its original elements; but the gem, all spark- 
ling with the glory of the Infinite, has gone to a 
richer and grander setting, whose light will guide 
you up into the bright realms of thought. 

The blighted bud of earth is unfolding into a fair 
and fragrant blossom. 

Father and mother, gather of the sweetness, and 
rejoice. Death is the key-note of human affec- 
tions. 

When a loved one is removed from mortal 
embrace, with what longings the poor, crushed, 
bleeding heart cries out: "Where is my darling?" 

Spiritualism is rolling the stone away from the 
sepulcher, and the angels of mercy are lighting up 
the dark j^assages of human agony with the torch 
of immortal life. — EvA. 



CIRCLE XXXV. 



DEATH CLAIMS ONLY THE BODY. 



OU see I find myself with 3'ou agiiin. I can 
v^<>, hardly tell how it is, bnt the interest which 
you took in my darkened condition — even as you 
thought it would — led me to think also; and now 
I would earnestly thank you. 

Death claims only the body. The soul returns, 
and possesses all of its attributes. The affection- 
ate nature, the intellectual powers, the intelligence 
and the consciousness, all are quickened into active 
play; and, when the spirit becomes refined and 
experienced, it understands that tlie life of the 
body is one of preparation for that which is beyond ; 
and this memory, which seems so quickened and 
intensified, is that which gives tlie greatest impetus 
to the soul. 

Memory is that which gives the power of com- 
parison, and assists in exploring mysteries — the 
mysteries of life — and also in solving its prob- 
lems. — R. G. Stewart. 




CIRCLE XXXVI. 



A visit to the Sanitarium, or place devoted to the care of 
Little Waifs. 



A SPIKIT-SANITAKIUM. 

■^rpHIS place, which we have been permitted to 
§^ visit, and where we have learned and enjoyed 
so much, extends, as you would calculate it, over 
thousands of acres. There are no square build- 
ings. Every dwelling and edifice is of a circular 
shape. In the center is an immense rotunda, sur- 
rounded by circle after circle of these circular- 
formed dwellings, until they reach the very verge 
of this paradise-home. There are beautiful gar- 
dens and extensive lawns, diversified by trees and 
shrubs, rippling streams and murmuring cascades. 
Everywhere, and on every hand, is a profusion of 
flowers of infinite variety, color, and perfume. 

On one side towers a grand range of mountains, 
their tops bathed in the gold and purple light. 
There are no rough or rugged features about these 



A SPIRIT-SANITARIUM. 129 

mountains, their sides and summits being rounded 
off in lines of charming beauty. At their base, 
and skirting them, is a plain of deep, tangled wild- 
wood with shady glens, streams of pure, running 
water, and crystal-gemmed fountains throwing up 
sprays sparkling with all of the prismatic hues of 
the rainbow. There is ever3^thing in and around 
these dwellings to please and charm the eye of 
childhood, and over all reposes the soft, gentle light 
of restful peace. 

The little waifs — blighted buds of earth, who 
had been abused and treated so unkindly that life 
had no brightness, and became too great a burden 
for them to bear — are taken to the Sanitarium 
and given in charge of mother-spirits ; and there 
are hundreds of these mothers who impart to their 
little charges their own warm, magnetic love, thus 
infusing into their souls a new, sweet joy never 
before experienced by these unfortunate little 
ones. 

These spirit-parents, mothers and fathers, do not 
become weary of this '' labor of love," for their 
love has developed into the divine blossom that 
embraces and blesses all alike with a tenderness 
unknown among mortals. 

With what patient love and kindness they lead 
these little ones through all of the varied ways 
of experience, finding their reward in the sweet 
draughts of affection which are given without 
stint so fresh and pure. And thus they work on. 



180 THOUGHTS FROM THE INNER LIFE. 

teaching and weaving the garments of beauty for 
these children who have no bright threads of 
endearing affection to draw them back to earth. 

They are surrounded by everything calculated 
to cultivate and draw out the sweetest attributes 
of their natures. 

The first, or outer, circle is the nursery. The 
second is where they are permitted to play and 
amuse themselves. The next, or third, circle is 
where they receive their object-lessons ; and next 
to this the higher branches, where they are taught 
to sing. Only those who possess talent and the 
love of music are required to take part in this last 
exercise. They come through the law of attrac- 
tion, and warble forth their sweet songs, because 
their souls are attuned to harmony. One of these 
schools was on the lawn when we arrived, and, 
as they came forward to meet us, clapping their 
little hands in greeting, they sang to us a song of 
welcome. And, oh, such exquisite melody ! I 
cannot describe it, — hundreds of little voices 
blending and rolling out in billows of matchless 
harmony. 

Dear Dora was at home here at once. All of 
her mother-love came forth, and received a simul- 
taneous response. Her face was radiant, and it 
was beautiful to see her in the midst of these little 
ones. 

The first and second circles are very material. 



A SPIRIT-SANITARIUM. 131 

and in everything correspond with the earth-con- 
ditions. 

Here there are many females who, in earth-life, 
were married, but who never became mothers, 
owing to their creative energy and reproductive 
organs having been imperfectly developed or im- 
paired. 

The tender germs that are rudely wrenched 
from the conditions of natural law are received 
by these females, and, through them, are passed 
through all of the stages of gestation. And thus 
the broken links are taken up, adjusted, and the 
law of nature goes forward. 

We were many days examining into the work- 
ings of this societ}^, after which we came back to 
earth with one whose mission it is to gather up 
these little ones. 

Some of these earth-conditions are very shock- 
ing. You live, and are surrounded by these trans- 
actions, but happily are totall}^ ignorant of the 
thousands of lives that are crushed out in a day. 

But all of this is caused by ignorance. Time 
and growth will remove ever}^ error, and correct 
all mistakes. 

When Mr. Fox saw how deeply impressed we 
were at the sight of these things, he said: ''Remem- 
ber that there is a future stretching out and on, — 
forever on ; and every age is higher and better in 
some things than the one which preceded it." 

There are many ways of educating these chil- 



132 THOUGHTS FROM THE INNER LIFE. 

dren. In the first place, they are surrounded by 
everything that will lead to thought and investi- 
gation ; and when they become interested in any 
object or subject, some one is always ready to 
instruct and lead them on from cause to effect. 

There is no selfishness to mar the calm serenity 
of this pure and holy place. The temperature is 
always mild and beautiful, the atmosphere soft and 
balmy, and all things perfectly and completely 
balanced. "Peace and Purity" are written with 
the sunbeam of God's smile upon everything. 

Each day brings its fresh and glowing lesson of 
experience. Each day these precious buds and 
beautiful blossoms bring new strength and tender- 
ness to those unselfish, loving mothers and teach- 
ers as they earnestly study their children's needs 
and wants. 

An inter-blending of all that is grand, noble, and 
beautiful gives inspiration, and fills the soul with 
the sweet possibilities of life. There are many 
schools, and many grades. It is quite impossible 
to describe to you the different ways and modes 
of instruction. Suffice it to say that they are all 
natural, genial, and pleasant. 

In this great rotunda, or central building, there 
are many apartments, in which painting, sculpture, 
music, and, in fact, all of the fine arts are taught; 
and here those of higher experience come to teach 
and instruct. 

The council hall of this great building is the 



A SPIRIT-SANITARIUM. 133 

most beautiful of any that I have ever seen. It 
is fitted up in the most exquisite and harmonious 
manner, and is adorned with soul-pictures, statu- 
ary, and forms of glorious beauty. It is a place 
of divine power, a home of inspiration. Here the 
patient workers and loving teachers take counsel 
together, and receive inspiration from those pure 
beings who have never known the sin of the mor- 
tal, but who have passed through this nursery, and 
advanced "onward and upward" into the very 
" Holy of holies." 

It is a sorry sight when the earthly parents of 
these children are permitted to see them. 

Notwithstanding they may have thought that 
their offspring had passed into oblivion, they know 
them at once, and they also see and feel the enor- 
mity of their acts and offenses. 

But these children have i]0 affinity whatever for 
the parents ; and sometimes these noble-hearted 
teachers turn away with a shudder of pain at the 
terrible agony of those self-accusing souls, who, 
perhaps, in the mortal, were looked upon as mod- 
els of Christian perfection. — EvA. 



CIRCLE XXXVII 



[All present. — This from Freddie Gager, who came to us 
a boy, but who has passed to higher duties.] 



WHY THE FUTURE IS NOT DISCLOSED. 

tT is often asked : "Why do not the spirits tell 
c^' us what is going to happen ? Why do they 
not tell us when our friends are going to die, that 
we may be prepared ? " 

I tell you there are many things for the future 
to disclose which would not be well for you to 
know. The knowledge thereof would unfit you 
for the duties of the present hour. The Eternal 
Purpose has kindly veiled them from you. The 
little warnings which are now often given are 
doubted, and seldom heeded. Then why should 
mortals ask for more? The wise and advanced 
spirits who influence and direct your guardian 
spirits and those nearest to you have some knowl- 
edge of future events, but they will not reveal this 



WHY THE FUTURE IS NOT DISCLOSED. 135 

knowledge to those below themselves unless they 
see that, if heeded, the information will be of great 
and general good. Do •not desire to have future 
events made known to you, but rather strive to 
beautify and round out the circle of your lives, 
and open the avenues of your being to the nearer 
approach of your guardian spirits that they may 
be able to take hold of circumstances and condi- 
tions, and thereby avoid impending dangers and 
coming evils. 

The more 3^ou strive to live en rapport with 
your spirit-guides, the more easy and possible will 
it be for them to protect you from coming harm. 

Freddie. 




"-^^-t j^-^^^^^^-^jS fe -*-^^^i^ —i^ §^~ ' iimTi^ tfr~nrfti ^**- -» 



CIRCLE XXXVIII. 



ETERNAL UNFOLDMENT. 

HAT a sublime thought that we have an 
^-nS^ eternity in which to explore the circles of 
all wisdom and of all truth ; a forever in which to 
unravel, and to make plain and clear, all that has 
passed; an eternity in which to straighten the 
tangled threads of life ; a forever in which to be 
able to clearly perceive and understand that all 
evil is undeveloped good, and the things which to 
us seem so vile and wicked are only those which 
are out of place. 

If a man were never to wander away from his 
home, he would never know the sweet joy of return- 
ing. If he never transgressed, he would never 
know the strength of reform. If he never failed, 
he would never feel the glorious thrill of triumph. 

The science of the eternal, or of eternity, and, 
indeed, of all things else, is growth and endless 
progression. 

A life of perfection is one without action ; and 
a stagnant life is one of torture and unrest. 



ETERNAL UNFOLDMENT. 137 

Now, dear friends, there is soon coming over 
your fair earth a new, a higher, and grander spirit- 
ual manifestation. And, oh, my dear friends, I 
wish I could express to you the thanks I feel for 
all that you have done for me; but just a little 
while and some of you will exchange the wintry 
forests of material life for the blossoming beauties 
of the summer-land, where the golden sunlight of 
God's smile will melt away all of the first discord- 
ant notes of materiality, resolving them into sweet 
songs of rejoicing. Then will you understand the 
heart and feelings of — Freddie. 



CIRCLE XXXIX. 



THEEE IS NOTHING NEW. 

Intellect cannot be limited. From birth 
^ to death man Is continually learning, gaining 
knowledge through his experience. Man himself 
never originated or Invented anything. He only 
arrives at that condition of development where he 
possesses the underlying principle^ and by his men- 
tal activity he gives it expression and form. The 
principle always existed. There is nothing new. 
It was, it is, and it always will be " the same yes- 
terday, today, and forever." 

When Spiritualism first came to be recognized, 
it was thought to be something new ; but I tell 
you it is as old as infinity,— only man's perceptive 
faculties have been shrouded in darkness and mate- 
riality, — and now, after long years of unfoldment, 
they are becoming quickened into a recognition of 
spirit. 

Humanity has arrived at the period where it is 
rapidly merging into the realm of mental and 



THERE IS NOTHING NEW. 139 

spiritual philosophy. It is progressing out of the 
condition of fear, and is, therefore, becoming more 
hospitable to the visitors from beyond. The title 
is a small amount; but where is the sage or scien- 
tist who can calculate or explain it? 

The time is coming when this fact will be estab- 
lished, — that there is no conflict between the sci- 
ence of the soul and the science of matter; and, 
when that time shall have arrived, these sounds 
will be read as easily, and with as great rapidity, 
as 3^our telegraphic messages are now. 

The spirit-friends will not then be obliged to 
come and take up the mortal conditions, and labor 
so hard to make forms by which to convince your 
senses; but, on the electric wires of thought will 
come the glad messages from the more exalted 
circles of spirit-life. — Eva. 



CIRCLE XL 



THE SPIEIT-WORLD AND LIFE REAL. 

■^nPHERE are a great many opinions of spirit and 
^§ the spirit-world. Some believe that all of the 
beautiful homes, grand cities, and lovely surround- 
ings spoken of and described by spirits are only 
the ideal creation of mind, and, therefore, have no 
real existence. This is not correct. Our world 
and our bodies are composed of the same spirit- 
element and nerve-fluid; therefore, our world and 
our surroundings are as real and tangible to us as 
the material world is to you. When the spirits 
are questioned as to how they build their homes, 
and plant their gardens, they reply: "By our will- 
power." This is correct. And is it not the same 
with you? Only your material bodies are so dense, 
and all of your surroundings so gross and crude, 
that Avhat would take months and years — -owing 
to the slowness of motion — for you to execute is 
with us almost instantaneous, owing to the mobil- 
ity and tenuity of matter belonging to our realm. 
Motion is the spirit and essence of life. To me 



THE SPIKIT-WORLD AND LIFE REAL. 141 

the mortal seems but the shadow of the real, sub- 
stantial life of the spirit-world ; but we cannot 
make you understand, for your conception, at 
most, only reaches to the borders of the infinite 
circle of things. We build our homes, we furnish 
and adorn them with whatever pleases our taste; 
we lay off our grounds, and beautify them with 
lawns, shrubs, trees, and flowers. 

The matter surrounding us is, like our bodies, 
attenuated, refined, and ethereal. The rapidit}^ of 
motion is so great compared with the slowness of 
motion and the grossness of material matter that 
it appears but to wish is to execute ; and the act 
of volition is one of creation also ; and yet to us 
it is labor, — pleasant, beautiful labor, — else we 
could not enjoy these things. 

It is like your willing and wishing to walk or to 
move some part of your body. You realize the 
motion, but cannot explain how or why it is. You 
only know, or feel, that mind is the propelling 
power. All things are the result of spirit-force. 
Mind-force cannot be seen, but it has sufficient 
power to overthrow or revolutionize the world. 

Poetry, music, and art are all the result, or 
expression, of this wondrous power. 

Mortal man is the casket in which is locked this 
priceless jewel. Death is the warden, who draws 
the bolt and bids the germ of angel-hood to come 
forth and rejoice in all of the vigor and strength 
of active life. — Freddie. 





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CIRCLE XLI. 



SPIRITUALISM IS A CHILD YET. 



E have heard a remark like this : " It is so 
\^g>^ strange that spirits cannot materialize with- 
out the condition of darkness." Is it, indeed, so 
very strange ? Where is the human soul who has 
not passed through the dark chamber of the mother 
while taking on the material form, — drawing from 
her nerve-fluids, and taking the material atoms 
from her body? A seed is placed beneath the soil, 
and in the darJc^ that it may come forth in form 
and beauty. Darkness is the great womb of nature. 
In the process of building the mortal body, outer 
surroundings and conditions sometimes produce 
distortions and monstrosities. If Spiritualists and 
investigators will patiently and quietly study these 
laws, they will perceive how the sitters themselves 
influence the phenomena, and will not so readily 
pass judgment if they do not always get perfect 
models of their materialized friends. Spiritualism 



SPIRITUALISM IS A CHILD YET. 143 

is a child yet. The child is not the man ; there 
must be time and growth. The child has surely 
come to stay. It has come to live and grow into 
a grand and glorious manhood, holding the golden 
key with which to unlock the treasure-house of 
all science. — Eya. 




CIRCLE XLII 



[Members all present. — This from Col. Harwood, who was 
a very active Episcopalian before "crossing the river."] 



ALL MAY RETURN. 

AM very glad to come. I find that a way is 
tpened for the return of every soul, and I am 
informed by angelic beings that it has always been 
so. It seems to me like the great highway of the 
soul's affection, and the way all wreathed with the 
smile of God's love. 

Oh, how vast, how vast, is the world in which 
I now live ! All that I wish for is extended to 
me. T see and feel so much that fills me with joy 
that my constant thanksgiving is demanded, and 
every hour 1 kneel and thank God for His 
great and tender mercies. I used to think it my 
duty, as you know, to speak out my convictions. 
I thought I was a Christian ; now I see many 
places where I might have done better. I did not 



ALL MAY RETURN. 145 

do my whole duty to others. I feel thankful for 
this exchange of thought with you. Many things 
which, at the time, made but slight impression 
are now clear ; at least, I see them differently. 

I now see that T cannot be forgiven for any 
wrong committed in the body. It must all be 
worked out through personal endeavor ; but it is 
not an easy matter to change the tenor of a life- 
time. I cannot tell why I have these peculiar 
feelings; but I find, through logical reasoning, that 
all action of matter is an expression of spirit. Oh, 
the wonderful power of spirit over matter ! But 
what is still more wonderful to me is the psycho- 
logical power of spirit over spirit. There is a 
psychologic and a physical manifestation of power 
which I am not able at this time to define ; but 
sometime in the future perhaps I may. 

I find that, instead of a world having been made 
in six days, as recorded in Genesis, there are worlds, 
suns, and orbs still in solution ; and, through the 
action of natural law, after millions of years of 
contraction and expansion in the whirling vortex 
of space, perhaps they may become visible to you. 
I can now trace a parallelism between those 
ancient records and the more modern manifesta- 
tions of spirit-power. Oh, how wonderfully it has 
been revealed to me that there is no such thing as 
positive evil in the world. That which is called 
evil, and attributed to the Devil, or the Satanic 
power acting in opposition to God, is, I now per- 



146 THOUGHTS FEOM THE INNER LIFE. 

ceive, misdirected good, and misdirection is the 
result of ignorance. For instance : the power ex- 
ercised by man to kill his neighbor, if directed 
instead for his neighbor's benefit would result in 
good to both. The power that kills also saves. I 
feel in duty bound to tell you this, however differ- 
ent from my former belief it may be. 

High as the eternal spheres, and deep as the 
unfathomable depths of infinitude, is the realm of 
soul-thought. 

We take with us all that constitutes our individ- 
uality; memory quickened, affection intensified, 
intelligence broadened and enlarged. 

Thoughts are visible through magnetic currents. 
The intensity of motion is very great, — nearly 
eight hundred trillions of undulating waves pass 
through a given point in a second of time. 

The invisible is greater than the visible. " For 
as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be 
made alive," means that Adam represents the 
physical, and Christ the spiritual, part of man. — 

Col. F. Harwood. 



CIRCLE XLIII 



AN IMPENETRABLE CLOUD. 

^HE inner condition of mortals always affects 
^'^^ our intercourse with them. For instance : 
when the opposite, or passions, rule or predomi- 
nate, they seem to us to be enveloped in an impen- 
etrable cloud. Many times have I seen these sur- 
roundings become so dark and polluted, through 
yielding to temptation, that loved ones — whose 
greatest joy was to return to their friends laden 
with the sweet-scented blossoms of heavenly ex- 
perience, to lay them upon love's sacred altar — 
were subjected to the deepest disappointment. 
Their brightness pales before this darkness. They 
cannot penetrate this wall of materiality ; and so, 
if any message be given at all, it must pass through 
some one more material than themselves. 

You have no idea how much these things affect 
the friends who are so anxious to break off all 
of these shackles of habit, and instead to implant 
the beautiful gift of liberty. — EvA. 



•-#--- 



CIRCLE XLIV. 



OTJE, SPIRIT-HOMES LIKE OURSELVES. 

hgJ^OMETIMES it seems a necessity to our hap- 
\^ piness and progress to come to our mortal 
friends, and receive their sympathy and magnet- 
ism. The air which you breathe is dense enough 
for us to walk upon. I want to tell you of this 
life which is already mine, and yours, too, in a few 
revolving seasons. 

This life is as real to the spirit as yours is to 
you. Yet all that we see, all that we enjoy, and 
all that we have, is of our own production. If 
there are grand mountains, lovely valleys, mur- 
muring streams, and glorious landscapes, they are 
the result of our own condition. If Ave have homes, 
we make and fashion them of the substance 
attracted to us by our own thoughts. 

I knew my home at once, it was so like me; 
not like the outward expression, but like the inner 
man I knew so well. It was a rude structure, 
with here and there an elegant finish representing 
some good aspiration, some little charity. This is 



OUR SPIRIT-HOMES LIKE OURSELVES. 149 

the soul-life. There are the good and the pure ; 
there are the low and the debased ; there are the 
happy and the wretched ; but, through the opera- 
tion of God's infinite law, they will, in time, all be 
indemnified. God bless Sena ! God bless Sena ! 
Tell her that, in the future, she will be mine, for 
we were soul-mated. Here there are none of the 
infirmities of age ; there are no physical deformi- 
ties ; but, oh, Daniel, the blemishes of the spirit 
stand out in such bold relief I This no one can 
escape. It is the experience of all. 

I found good deeds — or those most earnestl}^ 
and sincerely intended as such by me, but which, 
through the force of circumstances, were prevented 
or unfulfilled — here culminated into full fruition. 
So it is with opportunities lost, — they are plainly 
seen, and most deeply felt. 

Oh, my friends, I feel my heart swell with the 
grand and beautiful things which surround me. 

The thoughts of the Infinite are the pulsations 
of the universe. My surroundings seem to enlarge 
my powers, and widen the scope of my observa- 
tion. 

I would have Sena feel that, in dropping the 
body, I gained in the spirit. I have learned the 
religion of the soul, 

I can perceive the light; and yet I sometimes 
feel that if I could have had a longer experience 
in the body it would have been better in my 
home. 



150 THOUGHTS FROM THE INNER LIFE. 

Oh, tlie glory! Ob, the grandeur! Oh, the 
magnificence ! 

My heart burns to tell you, to describe it to 
you ; but mortal language is inadequate, because 
mortal eyes have never looked upon it. — Thomas 

COURTRIGHT. 




CIRCLE XLV. 



WHEN THE MISTS HAVE ROLLED AWAY. 

^Notwithstanding aii that can be given 

(^3 you from each and every grade of spirit-life 
and spirit-unfoldment, you must still, of necessity, 
be ignorant of the glory and beauty of the land of 
soul ; and, like the blind, who listens to a glowing 
description of the sun, the stars, the mighty ocean, 
and the flower-gemmed earth, his imagination 
colors and arranges these things ; but, lo ! when 
the scales have fallen from his eyes, with what 
wondering surprise and admiration does he view 
these scenes ! We can only impress upon you the 
reality of life — a continued life — and your spirit- 
ual condition. 

Humanity is in its moral infancy. In the un- 
folding years of human life to come spirit will 
more fully pervade matter. It will then be able 
to express itself more satisfactorily. 

Humanity will then advance in intelligence and 
refining influence more in one day than it can now 



CIRCLE XLVII 



NO PERSONAL GOD. 



H, my friend, I feel more than I can express, 
(o>^^ and see more than I can formulate. 

Oh, my God, what sensations pass over me as I 
tell you that the old headlands of theology are 
drifting and fading away. 

At first, I was all at sea, but thanks to the noble- 
hearted ones, whose lives are devoted to their fel- 
low-beings, I now have the chart of reason and the 
compass of God's love. 

The personal God whom I worshiped has van- 
ished into thin air, and instead I behold a mighty, 
infinite Principle pervading and extending over 
all, and finding expression and servants in natural 
laws. What we can understand of these, as mani- 
fested in nature and in life, is all we ca*n know of 
God. There is a ceaseless struggle going on be- 
tween the material and the spiritual. 

All suffering comes only as correction. 



NO PERSONAL GOD. 155 

I am lost in wonder at the great capabilities of 
the human soul. Behold the great and mighty 
minds of past ages as the}^ step across the centu- 
ries, taking away the disintegrating properties of 
matter, and again calling matter together without 
organic or natural law. — CoL. F. Harwood. 



CIRCLE XLVIII 



A COURT OF JUSTICE IN EVERY SOUL. 

^rPHE only road leading to a true and happy 



'§^ life is the one laid out by reason and experi- 
ence. There is a "court of justice" in ever}^ human 
soul, at whose bar every action of the individual 
must be arraigned for approval or condemnation. 
Papa and mamma, I would have you pluck all 
of the weeds and tares from the garden of your 
lives by your will-power and determination. Pluck 
them up by the roots, and in their stead plant the 
pure, white rose of love and harmony. Let doubt 
and distrust have no place in your hearts ! Then 
will your home be a paradise of beauty where high 
and holy ones will be attracted, and they will come 
and sit with you in the morning and in the even- 
ing; and when the change called "death" shall 
come, you will hardly know when the material life 
leaves off and the spiritual begins. 

Oh, papa and mamma, if I could only take you 
by the hand and lead you up to my spirit-home ; 
but I cannot. Mortal language fails, — it fails! 

Eva. 



J^^T 




CIRCLE XLIX 



PEOGRESS A LAW OF LIFE. 

.y LL of the wealth of the world seems but a 
bubble — but dross — when compared with 
the wealth of the soul who cares for and who 
serves his fellow-beings. 

Procuress is a law of life ; it is a child of the 
Infinite ; it knows no limit, because all of the 
boundless regions of heaven, earth, and space are 
open to its research. It is forever unfolding 
grander forms of beaut}^, nobler forms of thought. 
The great ocean of spiritual substances is forever 
moving and stirred by the thought of man. If a 
great, noble, or inventive thought is projected by 
an individual, it rolls on until it finds lodgment in 
another mind, where it tarries for a time to gather 
strength, when it becomes disengaged, and travels 
on until it becomes the guest of another soul who 
gives it form and expression. Hence, how neces- 
sary it is that all thought should be of that nature 
which will benefit humanity. 



158 THOUGHTS FEOM THE INNER LIFE. 

In the coming time all telegraphing and tele- 
phoning will be superceded by a system of thought- 
transfer, reaching not only to the material and 
spirit realms, but holding sweet communion with 
every star and planet in harmony with this. 

When it is necessary for a change, or for com- 
plete reform, thousands in spirit-land blend all 
of their powers and energies into one purpose and 
action, and through this united effort they are 
enabled to bring about the results for which they 
wished and labored. — EvA. 



^ 



'-^-- 



CIRCLE L 



SUBTLETY OF SPIRIT LAWS. 

EN returning to manifest and to communicate 
we are subject as it were to two laws : the 
spiritual, reaching out and acting upon, and in 
unison with the material law. Some ask : "Why 
are you always talking about conditions ? If it 
were spirits, I am sure they would come to me, 
and do thus and so." These same individuals 
know nothing of the vibrating movements which 
constitute the spiritual life of the universe. The 
laws governing mediumship and spirit communion 
are subtle in the extreme. 

The tiny dew-drop found in the opening flower 
is governed by a law as grand and patent as that 
which hurls the destructive thunderbolt from the 
lightning-cloud. Every hour, by and through tlie 
assistance of the spirit-world, man is making dis- 
coveries and improvements in the application of 
natural laws. So, in time, will he become as famil- 
iar with spiritual laws. 



160 THOUGHTS FROM THE INNER LIFE. 

There is more in Spiritualism than just believ- 
ing in the phenomena. The time is coming when 
mortal man will not in any way be annoyed by his 
surroundings, but will be able to make all things 
below him subserve their proper use and purpose. 

If all would strive to find the good in one 
another, as they do to find the bad, this beautiful 
condition of life would soon be reached ; but, in 
tending to the weeds in our neighbor's garden, we 
neglect to pluck the poisonous nettles from our 
own. 

When you are harmonious, you give us strength 
to work, and every effort that you make for the 
right gives us courage to go on in the great work 
of reform, and binds the love-links closer and still 
closer around us. 

Every human soul desires a continued life, ever 
reaching, ever longing to know and to be known, 
and to have an individualized being after the mys- 
terious change called " death." 

These desires are sacred, — they are eternal. 
They are the true instincts of the human soul, and 
must find a fulfillment. To honest and earnest 
investigators, the bridge which spans the dead- 
line of humanity has become visible. It has long 
been hidden by the rank weeds of ignorance and 
superstition ; but, as the light of truth and the 
soul's affection shine upon it, it gleams, like the 
''bow of promise," in every sad and sorrowing 
soul. The loved ones, coming across, can only 



SUBTLETY OF SPIRIT LAWS. 161 

bring a few broken threads of gold from t>he. woof 
of the web of eternal promise. 

Sometimes they are only able to produce a fluid 
image, yet I know I can see that the time is coming 
when they will be as substantial to you as they are 
to us. — Eva. 



•^^^ 




CIRCLE LI 



SPIEIT-MEDIUMS. 

•^nnHERE are spirits who possess a positive vvill- 
§^% force. Their connection and sympathy with 
the physical world are strongly marked. They 
also possess a large amount of will-power, through 
the operation of which they are sometimes able to 
make startling manifestations. These spirits who, 
like our darling Jimmy, are good and truthfully 
disposed are of incalculable service to those ex- 
alted ones who dwell in the realm of thought. 
These find it much easier to communicate through 
the agenc}^ of mind; hence, they impress their 
thoughts upon these receptive beings, and they in 
turn give them to mortals in their own simple 
language, receiving and giving instruction at the 
same time. When Jimmy was first introduced 
into our circle, there were spirits present who 
regarded him with haughty disdain. At length 
they became amused at his odd sayings, and then 
interested, and finally thoughts were presented 
Avhich touched a chord in their beings ; and these 



SPIRIT-MEDIUMS. 163 

thoughts, though clothed in the illiterate language 
of childhood, became to them the probing lance of 
truth. Through the mediumship of this boy they 
have been led out of darkness into light, from 
ignorance to understanding. They have become 
emancipated, and the creedal chains have dropped 
from their fettered limbs. Now they are able to 
take up the thread of their existence, — to take up 
that which is theirs by inherent law. And now 
these newly-awakened souls are eagerly seeking 
ever}^ opportunity to inculcate the beautiful lesson 
which they have received, to "love ye one an- 
other." 

To communicate audibly there must be material- 
ization, and darkness is the necessary condition 
for materialization, because the chemical combina- 
tions and atoms floating in the atmosphere, which 
the spirit must use to clothe itself temporarily, are 
disintegrated by the presence of light diffused, and 
cannot be held together. 

Light, acting upon the elements of the universe, 
keeps them in a state of activity and motion which 
prevents the spirit from gathering these elements 
and forces, as he is able to do when they are in a 
state of repose. 

Some spirits are not able to materialize at all, 
owing to their timidity, and some can only mate- 
rialize through the assistance of others, while the 
mission of this darling child is threefold. — EvA. 




CIRCLE LII 



LAWS OF MIND AND MATTER. 

EFEEL so happy, so glad, to be with joii 
again. Papa, this child's mission is three- 
fold, because the thoughts given through him not 
only instruct both you and him, but are also over- 
heard by listening ones v^ho are now in a dazed 
and bewildered condition, but who will yet blos- 
som out into good and beautiful results. 

Every day spirits are learning a little more con- 
cerning the law operating between mind and mat- 
ter, and are governing their manifestations accord- 
ingly. The real knowledge of these laws is slowly 
acquired, and must be gained through personal 
experience ; but mortals are now beginning to 
look upon these manifestations as something natu- 
ral, and in accordance with natural law. 

The day is not far distant when both embodied 
and disembodied spirits will have schools and col- 
leges where they will study the higher and more 
occult laws. 

Papa, this is reunion week, when those who have 
ascended into higher spheres return and visit those 
in the first sphere. — EvA. 



CIRCLE LIII 






THE VALLEY OF SIN. 

HAVE been down into the vallej^ where dark- 
cxi7 ness abounds, where sin-covered souls roam 
aimlessly about. I have witnessed the pain and 
sorrow of those vvho are under the cloud of dark- 
ness and fear. I have seen great, manly forms 
shake, like aspen leaves, at the tones of a mother's 
voice. I have seen the great and mighty ones of 
earth, whose lives were spent in the accomplish- 
ment of their own selfish ends, bowed down with 
an agony of remorse when wooed by the tender 
love of a darling sister. I have seen the rough, 
hardened murderer softened and subdued by the 
gentle caress of a child. 

Again, I have seen all kind advances spurned 
and rejected; and still the work of ministration 
was carried forward. No accusations, no censure, 
but every little grain of kindness, every little bit 
of charity, is sought after and encouraged. 

Here the most seraphic and spotless beings that 



166 THOUGHTS FROM THE INNER LIFE. 

ever lived on earth, or ever reached the farthest 
verge of infinite glory, feel it a privilege to minis- 
ter to these sin-sick souls. 

Thej^ have passed through all of the hard and 
unfavorable ways of mortal life, and through labor 
and earnest endeavor have passed up higher. 
They never forget their former low condition, but 
as they ascend higher and still higlier, their love 
and sympathy grow stronger for the unfortunate 
ones who are yet in ignorance and darkness. 

They tell them of their own sad and sorrowful 
experience, and how possible it is for them also to 
come up higher; and, too, they tell them of the 
compensating life before them. 

After much labor and many trials those dark- 
ened souls vibrate to the tender touch of these 
beautiful beings, and, anon, the sweet melody of 
fraternal sympathy breaks over the inner temple 
of their souls, and their lives become attuned to 
the grandest harmony of angelic spheres, the lov- 
ine' service of mankind. 

My dear friends all, you are the sentinels on the 
outposts of spiritual advancement. Do like these 
exalted ones. Give encouraging thoughts and 
words to the lowly ones. Then will sin and wrong- 
doing cease, sorrow and suffering flee away, as 
shadows recede before the rising sun ; good will 
triumph, and earth become a paradise so closely 
and harmoniously blended with the spiritual that 



THE VALLEY OF SIN. 167 

mortal and spirit will walk hand in hand, and con- 
verse together face to face. 

The great souls w^ho have been gathering the 
rich experience and knowledge of past ages will 
come, all radiant in the white light of redemption, 
bringing their rare gems and jewels of thought as 
a love-offering to man. Then will have arrived, 
most surely, the millennium foretold by ancient 
prophets and seers. 

For this condition, and to save man from the 
consequences of sin, the great, the noble, and 
the true of spirit-life work unswervingly. The 
incrustations of false teachings are crumbling 
away. The smoldering fires of inspiration are 
quickening with new life. 

The world is about to encounter a great spirit- 
ual epoch, and those who will not labor in the 
harvest will be swept away. — EvA. 



CIRCLE LIV, 



EVIDENCES OF GOD S WISDOM. 

^OME say: ''There is no God." Oh, why 
V^ does puny man reason and doubt in this way 
when he can see the splendor of the Infinite all 
around him ! What Power is that which has 
spread out such beauty and glory all over the face 
of the universe? We see, on every hand, the glow- 
ing radiance of a divine purpose. We see the 
nucleus of a new world in the most eccentric 
comet, as it sweeps its flashing trail through the 
orbits of surrounding worlds. And, in the rolling 
worlds on high, we behold a purpose, a divine 
wisdom, a beautiful harmony. And is this all 
chance? Nay: I tell you nay! 

Every drop of blood in your veins, every tissue 
of your body, speaks of the wisdom of a God. I 
believe that every thing is an emanation from an 
Ever Ruling Soul; and this Ever Ruling Soul is 
the law which fashions all in beauty and in har- 
mony; and every soul is an individualized part of 
this God-force that evolves the universe. It is 
only when we think of it as having a form and pos- 
sessing the attributes of a person that we become 
lost, confused, and in doubt. — Col. Harwood. 



CIRCLE LV. 



LOVE OPENS THE DOOE OF THE INNER LIFE. 
cpgAP A, these are a few of my own thoughts : — 



T Truth, evolved from spirit-life, is making its 
way into all society. It is making its way into 
the churches ; nearly all ministers have, at times, 
inspired utterances ; all preach Spiritualism, more 
or less dressed and disguised in the scanty swad- 
dling clothes of the past. 

Love, the angel of the human soul, has unlocked 
the door of the inner life, and left it ajar. Trem- 
bling mortals have looked within, and, oh, what a 
vista of matchless splendor beyond thamystic gate 
of death ! 

They have caught a fore-glimpse of the real life, 
and will accept its blessings. The old is passing 
away. The religion of fables must give way to 
the religion of love ; for mortals have felt the bap- 
tism of inspiration. — EvA. 



V C ^^ v^fe/^v 5^ 



CIRCLE LVI 



HUMAIJ^^ LIBERTY AND ADVANCEMENT. 

fera^OW little do mortals know and understand 
^^3:;. the deep, earnest labor of the spirits in the 
sacred cause of human liberty and human advance- 
ment. 

In the first sphere of spirit-life there are large 
societies and councils of reformers and philanthro- 
pists, who meet together to combine their powers, 
and shed their magnetic and quickening influences 
upon susceptible men and women, whose hearts 
beat in tender sympathy with suffering humanity. 

In these councils they form plans for the allevia- 
tion of the poor and suffering ones of earth, whose 
heart-throbs of anguish are forever surging up to 
the immortal shore. They have their committees 
and sub-committees, whose duty it is to impress 
upon sensitive beings the great necessity of more 
brotherly love. Sympathy and justice, and the 
more latent powers within, are quickened and 
brought into action. These sensitive mortals may 
be all unconscious of the conception and source of 



HUMAN LIBERTY AND ADVANCEMENT. 171 

their grand thoughts and plans ; but through this 
energy they are given form and expression in 
" Homes " and other provisions made for the relief 
of the poor and friendless. These "Homes" and 
*' Institutions" are a benefit for a time, or until 
selfishness creeps in, when the blight of the ser- 
pent is over all. This will be repeated again and 
again until the enem}^ is vanquished and selfish- 
ness is dead. — EvA. 




CIRCLE LVII. 



POSSIBILITIES OF THE HUMAN EACE. 

EH AYE made a feeble effort to give yoa some 
idea of the great and grand possibilities of 
the human race and the hights to which they may 
attain in the unfolding future. 

Humanity is now old enough and developed to 
the standpoint where it begins to understand and 
rejoice in the revelation concerning its destiny. 

To you, the evolution of these higher principles 
and conditions may seem slow ; but to the spirit 
who sees thoughts and emotions, and deals only 
with spirit, the changes are wonderful, and the 
growth rapid. 

Then how blessed it must be for all of those who 
work and walk hand in hand with the spirit-world 
to lead humanity up to a higher and better stand- 
ard of living, and who labor to hasten the coming 
of that golden era of perfect love, light, and liberty ? 
These are really the saviors of the world. 

Dear papa, mamma, and friends, you have no 



POSSIBILITIES OF THE HUMAN RACE. 173 

idea of the extended good of these little gatherings 
in this upper room. There are hundreds of people 
who, though they may never have spoken with 
you, have been led to think and to seek investiga- 
tion through the thoughts that have gone out from 
this place. 

Thought waves are never lost. All of the 
requisite conditions necessary to procure perfect 
communication are not yet known, or understood, 
by either mortals or spirits. — EvA. 



•^F 




CIRCLE LVIII. 






AVOID WRONG. 

XERT all of your God-given powers to avoid 
that which jou know to be positively wrong. 
Yield not to that which destroys the impulse to 
do right, which weakens and impairs the moral 
nature ; that which, for a few brief hours of gratifi- 
cation, brings only suffering, sadness, and remorse. 
Strive, every day and every hour, to do that 
which you know to be right, and in that fairer 
land of life where you will be reunited Avith your 
loved ones, and find companionship Avith the great 
souls who work for human redemption, you will 
find that every effort you have made for good is 
a pearl, every true action a jewel, every gentle 
thought a gem, strung together on the silver 
threads of love ; a beautiful rosary to bless and 
adorn your homes, of more value to the soul than 
all of the beads that were ever strung or blessed 
by priest or prelate. — EvA. 



CIRCLE LIX 



BE TRUE SPIRITUALISTS. 

^|rT is not only your own friends and kindred 
^ who come to you from time to time in this 
place, but a great host of immortal workers whose 
souls are bathed in the purer light of the divine 
elements and influences of unselfish lives. Each 
one brings influences peculiar to himself of strength, 
of comfort, and of solace. 

One brings the power of healing, another the 
quickening spirit of holy inspiration, while others 
make all radiant and glad with their sweet, celes- 
tial sympathy. 

And all of these work together with one accord 
to free your lives from envy and strife, from old 
opinions and prejudices, and surround you with a 
sphere of love, like a zone of light, wherein dvvell- 
eth all that is beautiful and glorious, where the 
sweet flowers of humanity blossom, and the spark- 
ling waters of regeneration flow. 

If your lips be silent, let your lives be a contin- 



176 



THOUGHTS FROM THE INNER LIFE. 



ual sermon, showing to the world that you are 
co-workers with those whose privilege it is to walk 
amid the splendor of the supernal realms of infi- 
nite glory. We would have you feel and realize 
that you are used as instruments in the hands of 
a higher power to teach the cheering knowledge 
of an immortal life, and the inestimable truth of 
the new dispensation. 

Then try to be Spiritualists in very truth. Let 
pleasant smiles and tender words dissolve the frosts 
of bitterness and woe. 

The separation of the internal from the external 
body will at once expand and widen the powers of 
the spirit. — EvA. 



CIRCLE LX 



NATURE THE LIVING WORD OF GOD. 



'ATURE is the living word of God. It has 
pages and chapters for every day and every 
hour of mortal existence. 

God has v^ritten his infallible word upon every 
gleaming orb and glittering star. It is lettered in 
bright blossoms upon the glowing landscape. It 
speaks in the storm-tossed waves of the ocean, and 
in the eternal thunderings of Niagara. Do we not 
feel a thrill of joy, a sweet uplifting, a sustaining 
power, as we read in this mighty volume of nature 
concerning the supreme law that holds, in perfect 
harmony, the glittering constellations and glowing 
worlds that forever roll on in their established 
courses? 

But all beauty, all splendor, all harmonies are 
merged into one as we read the sweet words writ- 
ten by the glowing finger of Omnipotence on the 
tablet of the human soul, ^- '' Life Eternal." 

Strive to live up to the highest and purest teach- 
ings from the upper world. Lay up in the store- 



178 THOUGHTS FROM THE INNER LIFE. 

house of memory the gem-thoughts that are given, 
that they may govern your actions day by day, 
and accept only that which coincides with your 
higher reason and better judgment. They tell 
you of that beautiful land, and the surroundings, 
to which they belong; but, above all, they endeavor 
to inculcate charity, love, and sympathy for the 
erring ones. 

He who is able to stand alone requires no sup- 
port. It is not the strong who need help, but the 
weak ones who fall by the wayside. The good, 
the wise, and the pure need not your tender words 
and loving sympathy, but the sinful, the wicked, 
the weak, and the sorrowful. 

Love to humanity is the great uplifting power 
that will redeem the world. The losing of all sel- 
fish personality is the divine baptism of principle. 

Eva. 



CIRCLE LXI 



[A description of the homes and care of those lacking in 
mental powers.] 

VISITS TO CELESTIAL CITIES. 

^Ipf R. FOX took us first to the Garden City. I 



(y^^ have no power to describe this beautiful 
spot. It is truly a garden of flowers, a wilderness 
of bloom. Everywhere flowers abound in the 
greatest profusion. The dwellings are embowered 
in them ; they climb thickly up the sides and over 
the roofs, completely covering them with fragrant 
blossoms. Here all who love flowers are satisfied 
to the fullest extent. 

There are great buildings called reception houses 
here. Into these homes the naturally indolent — ■ 
those born with little soul-force — are takeji, and 
kept until the}^ have gathered from the flowers, the 
atmosphere, and the surroundings (all of which 
are peculiarly adapted to their condition) the 
necessary elements to stimulate and supply the 
lacking force. 



180 THOUGHTS FEOM THE INNER LIFE. 

We saw some who had been in these homes for 
eighty or ninety years. They had become quite 
interested and industrious in and around their 
homes, but had no disposition to reach out after 
higher knowledge, or to enjoy the freedom of 
spirit-life ; but the time will come when they will 
hunger for something new, — when they will ask 
for a change. They are never censured, or blamed 
in any way for what they cannot help. It is a 
misfortune, not a fault. Everything is done for 
them, every help given to develop and equalize 
the vital and mental forces. 

With some growth is very slow. A long time 
elapses before the physiological defects are over- 
come, and all of the faculties brought into full and 
harmonious action. 

These souls are carefully watched, and if any 
uneasiness or desire for change is manifested, mis- 
sionary spirits induce them to go with them to 
some other place. They are always taken to the 
place best adapted to their condition, and present 
development. 

We were permitted to accompany one of these 
missionary bands to 

FOREST CITY. 

As Garden City is the "Eden" of flowers, so 
Forest City is the " Eden " of trees and of beauti- 
ful song-birds. No poet can paint so fair a picture 
of peace and happiness. Its contemplation filled 



VISITS TO CELESTIAL CITIES. 181 

our souls with delight. A light rested over all 
more beautiful than any I had ever seen. The 
gentle breezes, trembling through the trees, seemed 
to whisper a soothing benediction. 

Here the understanding of some of the sluggish 
ones was fully aroused to the glorious scenes and 
holy peace surrounding them. 

There is an irresistible influence of love eman- 
ating from these bright-faced spirits. Their very 
presence seemed to dissipate the darkness, and 
warm into life the barren intellects of their visit- 
ors, who, with their faces all aglow, said : " Let us 
remain with you." This is the first gleam of love 
and real dawn of reason. The understanding 
must be reached by slowly, but surely, unfolding 
processes ; and thus the schooling is patiently and 
untiringly continued. 

Little by little the golden ray-beams of knowl- 
edge will silently steal into the darkened chambers 
of the mind. It may be an age before the latent 
powers of the spirit will sufficiently unfold to 
break down the barriers thrown around them by 
an unnatural physical organism, rendered thus by 
violated law. 

In every new place to which they are taken they 
can gather to themselves the refining iufluences 
which belong to them. Here we were again in- 
vited to accompany another band of missionaries. 
They were about starting for the Cit}^ of Labor, 
taking with them some of those who had been for 



182 THOUGHTS FROM THE INNEH LIFE. 

sometime at Forest Cit}^ and were becoming 
uneasy to go forward- 
In the City of Labor there is no sluggishness. 
The fetters are broken ; the darkness and shadows 
flee away. Here the light is strong, and gloriously 
beautif al. The golden sunbeams — not glaring b ut 
clear, 3^et mild — -give strength to the spirit, and 
lift it up. 

Here they are girdled around and about by the 
spirit of activity. Each succeeding place through 
which these weak ones have passed has been 
especially adapted to their condition and develop- 
ment at the time of change. And now the time 
has come when inactivity and deformity will 
quickly pass away. They have entered the circle 
of eternal labor. Here the soul will gather all of 
the properties which belong to it as a right of its 
nature, and of which it was defrauded in earth- 
life. 

Oh, what a busy scene is here ! Arts, sciences, 
mechanism in all of its different phases. Here 
each one seemed to go naturally to his own place, 
and take up the occupation for which he was best 
fitted. Now begins an earnest, sincere struggle, 
followed by a glow of joj^dus exultation at every 
success. 

The law of cause and effect is as eternal and 
unyielding as the creation itself. 

It is only through growth, gained by better con- 
ditions, that the natural barriers which circum- 



VISITS TO CELESTIAL CITIES. 183 

scribed the mental action are, one by one, dis- 
solved, and these imprisoned spirits bronght out 
from their sluggish condition. The intellect has 
been too thickly shrouded in gross matter to prop- 
erly express itself. 

Like the seed which is buried too deep in the 
earth, it must be brought nearer to the surface, 
where the warm, fostering rays of the sun can 
reach it before it can germinate into goodness, 
purity, and love. 

Beautiful, unselfish love, operating through the 
eternal law of nature, is the magnet which draws 
out and holds these weak souls in the school of 
unfoldment. 

The material organization leaves some of its 
crudities, and becomes more sublimated at every 
advancing step, until in the circling of worlds and 
the unfolding of ages it will stand at the apex of 
all glory, a very god in spirit and understanding. 

From here Mr. Fox took us to a hight overlook- 
ing 

CRYSTAL CITY. 

When we were ready to leave the City of Labor, 
Mr. Fox informed us that we could have a view 
of Crystal City if we would ascend a very high 
mountain. We were delighted and overjoyed at 
the prospect, for we had heard much of the glory 
and beauty of this wondrous place. Mr. Fox said: 
" The way is rough, and the journey tedious, and 



184 THOUGHTS FROM THE INNER LIFE. 

it is not good for those who become wearj and 
tarry b}^ the way." 

We took a path that led directly up a mountain. 
After traveling a long way up this rough and 
rugged path, we came to a net-work spread across 
the way, which was nearly invisible, but strong as 
iron, and as impenetrable. We went back half of 
the distance over which we had come, and here 
we were shown a path to the right which led us, 
spirally, up the mountain again. 

We traveled a very long \y^j in this path, when 
we again came to a similar net-work, and again 
had to retrace our steps half way to where Ave 
entered this path, when we were shown another, 
still to the right, which wound around the mount- 
ain toward its summit. 

Papa, these descriptions of our journeyings may 
seem strange and incomprehensible to you, but to 
us they are full of wisdom and discipline. 

We traveled our path over, gaining a little each 
time, learning and observing many things that 
were overlooked at first. Our impatient, eager 
expectation changing to patient, earnest exertion, 
we learned not to look for or expect more than 
was promised. We became more fully conscious 
of the inherent power which we possess, and learned 
how much we were able to endure and to accom- 
plish. 

Sometimes, when the way was so hard, and we 
were almost discouraged, the gentle words of Mr. 



VISITS TO CELESTIAL CITIES. 185 

Fox, whose face ever beamed with love and en- 
couragement, would thrill us with new hope and 
energy. 

Finally, the last path we took grew more smooth 
and even as we ascended, easy and pleasant as we 
approached the top. At length we reached the 
highest point, and, oh, what a burst of glory! 
Mortal language can never describe this city of 
just and holy ones. Its domes and turrets gleam 
and glisten in the soft, mellow light like crystal, 
fretted pearl, and ivory. 

Papa, imagine yourself looking down upon a 
great city covering thousands of acres, with all of 
its buildings gleaming like crystal. Its light is 
unlike tlie sunlight, but a soft purple, tinged with 
gold. Away toward the horizon shone one bright 
star. As we looked, it rapidly approached the 
city, and, as it neared, we discovered that it was 
composed of numerous spirits. Mr. Fox informed 
us that they were a band just returning from some 
mission. 

As I stood, spell-bound, gazing upon the over- 
whelming glory, beauty, and sublimity of this City 
of God, its atmosphere magnetizing, filling, and 
thrilling every avenue of my being, in my great 
joy, I said : " I must make a sketch of some of this 
beautiful architecture for my parents." Mr. Fox 
placed his hand tenderly upon my head, and kindly 
said: "No, my child. It is impossible to paint 
these scenes for mortal eyes. Do you not know 



186 THOUGHTS FROM THE INNER LIFE. 

what labor it has cost you to look upon this city 
of the just and perfect ones? Do you not per- 
ceive that only by great exertion it can be looked 
upon, even from afar off?" 

When we were ready to depart, an ambassador 
was sent out from the city to give us greeting and 
counsel. His presence seemed to diffuse a sweet 
incense of perfect peace. His words sank deep 
into our hearts. He told us of that beautiful city, 
and explained to us why it was so beautiful ; but 
these things are so far beyond earthly science or 
comprehension that we have no power to present 
them to the human mind. 

We found the way down the mountain easy, 
pleasant, and delightful. No difficulties or obsta- 
cles beset our path. What we had seen, enjoyed, 
and received we had earned by patient exertion, 
and our hearts were glad. We had felt a thrill of 
inspiration from the great future before us, — a 
future whose blessings no human forecast can 
measure. 

The effect of these experiences was to knit our 
hearts together in perfect unity, which has given 
us greater power to work for human freedom. 

Our lives can never be the same as they were 
before we took this journey. 

It is impossible to express the heart-felt grati- 
tude we feel for the kindness, love, sympathy, and 
tender devotion bestowed upon us by the great 
and noble-hearted Mr. Fox. 



VISITS TO CELESTIAL CITIES. 18T 

Papa and mamma, it has been a lesson sweet 
and holy; a vision of perfect harmony; a little 
taste of the sweetness of all life ; the joy of an 
eternity that is eternal. 

I would not exchange this experience for all the 
honor and glory that earth can bestow. This 
jewel of knowledge — the gift of Infinite Love — 
I would not exchange for the sovereign rule of all 
the earth. The stone has been rolled away from 
the sepulcher of ignorance, and we have risen with 
the "Christ" of all truth. The spirit of revela- 
tion has become an actual presence in our souls. 
In the past we have been taught and educated in 
the school of harmony. We have now entered the 
school of principles. Hitherto we have roamed in 
the garden of beauty, gathering the sweetest buds 
and blossoms of love and affection ; but now we 
have reached the place where grow the sturdy 
trees of real knowledge. The fruits, ripe and 
sweet, must be garnered into the store-house of 
the soul's future. 

Progression involves an eternity of action. The 
pathway of endless progression stretches on for- 
ever through the spheres of the soul's develop- 
ment, — forever and forever on. 

This realm of spirit-life is deep as the unfathom- 
able depths of infinity. My soul swells with grati- 
tude when I gaze upon the broad fields of light 
and wisdom yet to be explored. 

All things appeal to the soul with a divine real- 



188 THOUGHTS FROM THE INNER LIFE. 



ity. How many and what wonderful things we 
have been permitted to see and to learn in our 
journeyings to the different cities and places. 
These privileges have given a freshened vigor to 
the mind, and added new strength to our resolu- 
tions. 

It is difficult for the spirit to recognize its almost 
unlimited power and possibilities. 

I am lost in wonder when I would speak to you 
of the immeasurable hights and unfathomable 
depths of this realm of thought, — this inward 
world where every human soul must unfold and 
develop forever and ever. — EvA. 



— ^"N-^^^^^^^^feoc^^,^^ 



CIRCLE LXII. 



UNSEEN KELATIONS OF LIFE. 

*^^^0U have but the faintest conception of the 
^-^ intimate, vital, unseen relations of life. There 
is an actual, positive, tangible intercourse between 
the two worlds, and there is much that is dark and 
mysterious mingled with the good, the beautiful, 
and true. 

The truth is not responsible for the use which 
unprincipled persons make of it. 

Sitters are largely responsible for the character 
of the manifestations, by the state or condition of 
their minds. One error many times is the cause 
of a thousand others. 

There are those possessed of some mediumistic 
powers who care only to make a financial profit. 
Many times, however, good, honest mediums are 
the unconscious tools acted upon by the double 
power of spirit and mortal. 

As the mesmerizer controls the mind and action 
of the subject, so these sensitive ones are acted 
upon by visible and invisible operations. 



190 



THOUGHTS FROM THE INNER LIFE. 



It is the inward pulsation, the intangible influ- 
ence of wrong in the soul, that makes its subtle 
power felt more than words, — more than words. 

It is hard to realize that there is a palpable 
vibration of thought. 

Heaven knows that there is fraud and buffoon- 
ery enough, but it does not all originate with the 
medium. — Eva. 



CIRCLE LXIII. 



THE SHUTTLE OF FORCE. 

H, papa, how I wish I could find words to 
^^ express all that I wish to tell you. Eternally 
"onward and upward," — boundless, limitless, infi- 
nite nature, from nebulous matter to ether-bathed 
suns, stars, and souls. 

Backward and forward the shuttle of force is 
forever moving, weaving, linking, binding together 
with its golden threads of harmony all worlds, all 
universes. 

Every star, orb, and planet is a leaf, a petal of 
the unfolding flower that blooms in the firma- 
mental garden of our God. I find myself a tiny 
" dew-drop," an individualized atom nestling among 
the pure, white, glowing leaves of eternal blossoms. 

As fragrance speaks from the heart of the rose, 
filling the whole air with its perfume, so does 
divine love speak from the heart of the Infinite, 
whose nearness overshadows, inspires, and fills all 
my soul with a solemn awe and stern reality. 



192 THOUGHTS FROM THE INNEE LIFE. 

My feet have touched the sands of the measure- 
less ocean of all thought. I find seed-germs of a 
sovereign power and a divine perfection enbosomed 
within my own soul. I find myself in all life, and 
all life in me. I am suns, stars, and worlds, and 
they are atoms of myself. I find all of the subtle 
forces of the universe concentrated in this immortal 
life of mine. — EvA. 



^ 



CIRCLE LXIV. 



MATTER IS DEATH. SPIRIT IS LIFE. 

VERY particle of matter represents, or is the 
.^^=^^ representation of, the divine law that governs 
the universe. 

In the rock we see the properties of the soil. In 
the soil we see the properties of the plant. In the 
plant the properties of the animal ; and in the ani- 
mal we see man. In man you cannot see but you 
csinfeel the properties and attributes of the Divine. 

Matter is death. Spirit is life. Life is immor- 
tality. Spiritualism is the science of the soul. It 
is incomparably beyond all physical science. It 
hypothecates nothing. It is simply a truth, a fact, 
and it is destined to wield in the near future the 
scepter of power in all parts of the earth 

There are great changes taking place. This 
planet — Earth — is passing through a most crit- 
ical time, or transition, — great commotion in the 
atmosphere, great changes in religion, changes in 
labor and in capital. 

Blessed, indeed, will be those who help forward 
this great reform movement. Their advancement 



194 THOUGHTS FEOM THE I2sNETl LIFE. 



may seem slow, their lives considered lowly, their 
days filled with persecution and tears, but the 
sweetest flowers of compensation are watered by 
the bitter tears of anguish. There is not a soul- 
blossom blooming on the fair banks of eternity 
but had its inception, birth, and development in 
the cold, hard soil of mortal life. This life is but 
the prelude to the life beyond. It is through 
suffering for the truth that we gain our highest 
blessings • 

Oh, yes, Daniel, great changes are taking place. 
The progressive hand of Time is sweeping the veil 
aside from theologically-blinded humanity, giving 
a clearer and more complete vision of life and its 
duties. 

The magnetic finger of Divine Inspiration has 
touched the soul- chords of humanity, and every 
day great, royal-souled reformers are coming to the 
front, ready and willing to devote their lives to 
the mental and spiritual development of the race. 

Humanity is beginning to think. Thinking 
brings reason. Reason has already put out the 
fires of an Orthodox " Hell." Decency has de- 
prived the '' Devil " of his hoofs, horns, and tail. 
Love and affection liave beaten down the wall of the 
close-communion " Heaven." The throne of an 
unjust God is crumbling away. Man is beginning 
to understand that his spirit is identical with God. 
The physical world is the material body of God. 

Thomas Couetkight. 



CIRCLE LXV. 



(? 



EVA, THE TEACHER. 

WAS invited to come here by a band of happy 
<^ soals to look in upon the beautifal school of 
persuasion and reform. It is a sight to make every 
heart rejoice and throb with delight to see a deli- 
cate girl — a sweet, fair maiden of only a few 
earthly summers — merged into the grand, loving, 
and tender teacher of the coarse, the vicious, the 
ignorant, and the self-wise. 

Like the star that gives its light, like the flower 
that gives off its perfume, they lose nothing : but 
the star is still brighter for giving off its light, the 
rose is sweeter for imparting its perfume. 

So it is with this fair child of heaven. 

She possesses a sparkling jewel of unselfishness, 
and is seeking the pearl of divine beauty which 
she knows exists in every human soul. 

She knows that conscience is the lamp of God, 
which ever burns within. 

Father, mother, this is a grand mission of your 
angel-child, and your darling is aided in her mis- 
sion by your tender sympathy. 

The above is from Rosevelt Parker, of Racine, 
Wis. 




PART II 







[The following notes were taken by Mr. Fisher at their 
home circles. The communications were given by his sister, 
Dora Fuller, with Mrs. Swain as medium.] 



CIRCLE I 



WHEN I FIRST PASSED OUT OF THE BODY. 

EWANT to tell you that, when I first passed 
out of the body, everythhig seemed so quiet 
and peaceful. It was like being transported into 
another atmosphere, — one of perfect tranquility^ 
This did not last long. As soon as I thought of 
those I had left behind, 1 wished to come back ; 
but it hurt me so to feel your grief. And then I 
was taken away to the most beautiful place. It 
was a bower. — Doka. 



0»% 






^^^ 



CIRCLE II. 



NOT FOK WORLDS WOULD I BETURN. 

OT for worlds would I return and take up 
c^>^ the conditions of mortal life, much as I 
grieved to leave you and the dear children ; for 
now I see the purpose of tlie divine law of the 
Master Mind of the universe. 

I feel stronger now that I can come to you and 
be accepted ; and yet I am so much of a child that 
sometimes I feel that I must stand back and learn 
more before I attempt to talk. 

But, oh, my heart is so full of the beautiful 
things around me. Oh, mother, brother, "God is 
love ; God is love." — Dora. 



200 



'"^♦;^v-- V'^*;s$-v .v<^»^>^ -v<^»;;s^v v-^*^ .^^ ■ v^^^^v '--/-^•^v.. V'^*<^v" '''/'^♦•^. 

■vSk^^' ' '♦^^•^ '^*M**V '^^v ' ' 't^^\'^ '•^*'V '•'M**' '•'S^V '•^^V 

;S^!5^>.: .-^&?^^; ,>-::i5!5^ ,.-i~5^x ..-::;^?^ 



CIRCLE III. 



AMONG SPIRIT-FRIENDS. 

g7HEN I first entered into spirit-life I was 
^^^J^ taken to a home where there were a num- 
ber of my friends. 

I soon forgot my sadness through the kind care 
which they gave to me. It is so beautiful to be 
cared for through love. There is no selfishness 
here. Pure love prompts every action. It seemed 
a greater pleasure for them to give than for me to 
receive. 

I remained with these dear friends until I learned 
what the change was. 

Now I am preparing a home for you, dear 
mother. — Dora. 



|^=^2/J^^-*--» 



201 






CIRCLE IV. 



I LOST MY BODY TO FIND MY SOUL. 

H, I am learning such wonderful lessons of 
^^ God's infinite love, power, and wisdom. 

My soul is sometimes filled with thanksgiving 
and praise. T lost my body to find my soul. Now 
all life is mine. I am no longer cramped and con- 
fined by earthly limitations, but all of my faculties 
have full and free expansion. 

Death does not cause the separation of the spirit 
from the loved ones, if they will only open the 
door and bid it welcome. 

Mother and brother, I bring you glad greetings 
from all of your friends. — Dora. 



'"^3^" 



202 



^y •^/>;:;. A!^:-: .^^^::. /5^ 



CIRCLE V. 



FEAR AND TERROR OF DEATH. 

tURING earth-life I had great fear and terror 
even of death ; but now, if I could, T would 
convince the whole world that it is the most beau- 
tiful of all of God's instituted laws. 

I was welcomed by many friends, some of whom 
I knew in earth-life, and others whom I never 
knew. 

I found a home of my own building. In some 
parts it was very beautiful, in others very defi- 
cient, while remaining portions bore hardly any 
semblance to a home. But I am working to finish 
it, and to adorn its walls with soul-pictures, shaded 
with purity and love, — Dora. 



203 



^M^ - -■'Kv -.^K'.- -.^K*.- 'i^v '*'^.- 



CIRCLE VI 



KINDEED NOT ALWAYS TOGETHER IN SPIRIT-LIFE. 

ELATIVES and kindred do not always live 
,<g^ together in spirit-life. Only those who can 
materially aid and assist each other. Those be- 
tween whom there is a true, spiritual union live 
together in one home. 

They do not all perform the same kind of work, 
but are ever ready to respond and help when a 
call to do so is made upon them. 

Every home is visited by some great, brilliant 
soul, who teaches to its inmates the law of unfold- 
ment. — DoEA. 



204 






CIRCLE VII 



STRENGTH TO INVESTIGATE AND ADVANCE. 

bl^INCE you have the knowledge that I live, 
^c^ and, in consequence of that knowledge, are 
more reconciled to our separation, I feel more 
strength to investigate and advance. 

Here, where we are, we are never brought into 
contact with anything that does not harmonize. 

We naturally gravitate towards that with which 
we can affinitize. 

I love to see you surrounded by beautiful things, 
works of art, flowers of nature. They harmonize 
the mind, and make beautiful conditions for the 
entrance of the spirit. — ^DoRA. 



" ^ ■ ♦ ■V - ^ •^' \ ' ^ 



205 



?:v^v^i^iSo^ ?l<»i- '■•^i'MV^ '<<r^y' -'''.<i^:-^^ .'^i<MV^ ■: -i*M^^ ^^•2'M^^ ,:^?iMK^ -^ 



CIRCLE VIII 



THIS LIFE IS FULL OF PHOMISE. 

'PpHIS life is full of promise. When I look 
§^ back upon my earth-life, and see how slow 
the progress which I made, it seems as though I 
have since gained a world of knowledge ; but when 
I view it from a spiritual standpoint, I can see that 
I have gathered but a few fragments of the won- 
drous wisdom and knowledge that everywhere sur- 
round me in these realms of infinitude. — Dora. 



o-:^Z/ZT^-B-~i 



%^-"mm'"-^^m' '"^^^m^ -^Wr ^^Wr '--w^ ■'''::^m^ '--Wy ^'^i^ 



CIRCLE IX 



PROTECTED BY TENDER SPIRIT-FEIENDS. 

ERE, in your quiet home-surroundings, you 
<^!^ attract and call about you kind and tender 
spirit-friends who are able to protect and guard 
you. 

While you are away, these conditions will be 
changed and missed. This is why I wish you to 
sit quietly whenever you can make it convenient 
to do so, that we may throw our magnetism upon 
you, and make you receptive to our impressions. 

Should a feeling of reluctance come over you 
w^hen about to do anything, you had better desist, 
or, at least, be very careful. This is a season of 
disasters. 

We do not say this to frighten you, because we 
will take care of you if you keep yourselves in a 
condition as negative and receptive as is possible. 

Dora. 



207 






CIRCLE X 



SOUL-BLOSSOMS. 



^^ ATHER and I have been having such a beau.- 



^;4^ tiful, happy time preparing and decorating 
our spirit-home. Many soul-blossoms that have 
grown in the garden of your lives have we gathered 
and arranged in forms of infinite variety, whose 
beauty and fragrance will make glad your hearts 
when you come to dwell with us. They will 
speak of the immortality of all things. They will 
breathe of the reality of all action, and the splen- 
dor of all love and sympathy. — Dora. 



"■"tM^ '""M 



j^y x^> , "?wv .'^. " y^. ^a'v ?«^ ?M^ 



CIRCLE XI 



LOVE OF SPIRIT-FRIENDS. 

OUR spirit-friends love you so well that they 
gladly leave their beautiful homes in the 
summer-land, where all is peace and gladness, 
where the flowers forever bloom in glorious beauty 
and fragrance, and, coming back to earth, they 
take upon themselves material conditions. 

They feel the heat and cold of your climate. 
They are sensitive to pain. They take upon 
themselves your sorrows and discouragements. 
They are ever trying to cheer and comfort you. 
They are ever twining for you sweet blossoms of 
God's love that fade not away, and pouring the oil 
of consolation upon the troubled waters of your 
lives. — Dora. 



C~*-'»'2^S^^&^:^2/2'VTr--» 



209 






CIRCLE XII. 



ALL IS PEACE AND HAPPINESS. 

tN our spirit home all is peace and happiness. 
cxcy All of the shadows that darken or mar the 
sweet harmony of the spirit's life come from earthly 
conditions. 

Sometimes the great love that spirits bear toward 
friends left behind draws them back, and they can 
grow but little because those friends are so bound 
to earth. If mortals only realized how much 
brighter they could make the lives of their spirit- 
friends, as well as their own, they would endeavor 
to live purer and better lives. 

I do feel most sincerely to thank mother and 
you for helping me to advance. — Doha. 



"-^4^" 



210 



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>^^--': ''--2iiK/ '"-35iK 



CIRCLE XIII. 



PROOF OF IDENTITY. 

ET is impossible for every spirit to give satisfac- 
tory proof of its identity. Some have not the 
will-power and force to give undoubted evidence 
of their presence ; and then again, there must be a 
certain bond of sjmipath}^ between the spirit and 
the organism of the medium and the sitters, or 
they cannot communicate. This want of assimi- 
lation is sometimes overcome by frequent sittings. 
As in earth-life, you sometimes meet persons whom 
you feel you can never like, or with whom you can- 
not easily become acquainted. After a time, how- 
ever, that feeling passes away, and you find them 
pleasant, genial companions. — Doha. 



211 






CIRCLE XIV 



SELF-EXAMIKATION EACH DAY. 

^(^^7E would have you cultivate the art of self- 
i.^^ examination at the close of each day. 
Do not allow yourselves to be too much lifted up, 
or elevated, through worldly prosperity, nor too 
much cast down because of adversity. 

At all times try to maintain an equilibrium, and 
the good angels will be your visitors every day, 
and they will be able to get into your surroundings, 
and help you along the rugged pathways of life, 

DOEA. 



212 






:;S^ 



CIRCLE XV. 



Invocation by Mr. Fox. 

O shades of the mighty dead, we invoke thy blessing. May 
the angels of peace and love abide with these human chil- 
dren. 



MUCH THAT IS BEAUTIFUL. 

,fe\H, how much that is beautiful has come to 
^^ me since I entered this world of thought ! 

Sometimes, in the midst of all this grand unfold- 
ment, I feel such a desire to bring all of these 
soul-germs and present them to you and dear 
mother, but I have learned that I can only give a 
little, adding daily as you grow more and more 
receptive to the influences and knowledge of our 
world. — Dora. 



213 



CIRCLE XVI 



THE TWO WORLDS ARE CLOSELY ALLIED. 

-^CPHE two worlds are so closely allied and inter- 



woven that, from your world, goes forth the 
wail of sorrow, ofttimes unheeded by mortals, but 
always heard by some who dwell in the land of 
souls, and who respond by hastening to earth, and, 
through earthly^ conditions, labor to relieve and 
comfort. 

And so the spirit works on. Not only in that 
life which is just beyond the borders of this, but 
the sea of sorrow surges out from the tender, lov- 
ing hearts, and spirits do the work which belongs 
to mortals for accomplishment. — DoEA. 



«— -<.'Vy3^<..*.0-.:^2/2'l,Tl— ' 






CIRCLE XVII. 



"ONWAED AND UPWARD.' 

n]\f/rY beloved mother and brother, every en- 
Q^t deavor that you make for good will lead 
you "onward and upward " and heavenward. For, 
if 3''ou seek the light, it will come to you, and the 
light will dissolve the darkness. If you seek the 
truth, it will come to you, and the truth will abol- 
ish error. This is the object and work of the 
spirits in coming to you, — to bring truth and 
knowledge. — Dora. 



215 



CIRCLE XVIII 



WOULD THAT I COULD LIFT THE VEIL. 

kr^VERY day, more and more, I feel the in- 
*^"^ spiration of the Divine Will coming to me 



through those seraphic beings that live in spheres 
above me. 

Everything around and about me gives me joy 
and peace. 

Rare and magnificent flowers grow profusely 
everywhere. Their fragrance gives me love and 
strength to press on, for it is a breath of our 
Father, God. 

Oh, mother, brother, would that I could lift the 
veil that you might, for a moment, gaze into this 
real soul-world, — brother, this world where all is 
peace and harmony. — Doka. 



216 



M^:-.: ,.--5^;;-.. ,-^i^ 






CIRCLE XIX. 



ministhations of love. 

^Tj^ROTHER, you wish to have me tell you what 
jfe; I do, and how I pass my time. 

With others I find much to do in helping to 
calm and soothe the minds of the dying, and also 
in assisting them when they reach our home. I 
have ever}^ opportunity for work and advance- 
ment. My every desire for unfoldment is grati- 
fied. We have schools, or institutions, where we 
can go at any time and have all subjects that inter- 
est us explained and simplified. 

We visit, we have gatherings for mutual benefit 
and exchange of thought, and we have pleasure 
excursions. 

Everything around and about us, wherever we 
go, speaks of the possibilities of the soul, and 
stimulates to action. Our organic wants are less 
than yours, therefore we have more time for spirit- 
ual improvement. 

Oh, how happy it would make me if I could tell 
you of the thoughts that fill my soul. But human 
language fails. 

217 



218 THOUGHTS FROM THE INNEK LIFE. 

Where I dwell the land i.s fair and beautiful, 
and so perfectly arranged that we have all the 
helps we need to assist us in ascending into the 
higher realms of thought. There are none of the 
limitations of matter to souls in the full enjoyment 
of free liberty. 

The only trouble that we have is because. we 
cannot always reacli our friends on earth. But, 
with me, this obstacle is partly overcome, thanks 
to you, dear mother and brother, for your loving, 
harmonious natures. 

I would gladly reach brother Charles, were it 
expedient, but, in time, that difficulty will be sur- 
mounted or removed. The spirit can advance 
more rapidly when it has made itself known to its 
friends on earth. Mr. Ballou's friend takes more 
interest in her soul-life now than formerly. Now 
that she has made herself understood, she feels 
more happy, and so content. — Dora. 



1^4'ZnAy-r-* 






CIRCLE XX 



GROVES OF MEDITATION. 

m OTHER and brother, I am glad to meet you 
. again. I would give to you a spirit's greet- 
ing, a daughter's and a sister's love and affection. 

Do not feel that I am absent from you because 
I may not speak to you. Spirit cannot be sepa- 
rated from spirit. 

Since I last spoke with you we received a mes- 
sage from Mr. Fox — I mean the band —that we 
were to meet at the Temple of Thought. 

There we were informed that he was to escort 
us to the Groves of Meditation. 

Oh, I wish I could describe this magnificent 
place to j'ou, 1 can only compare it to every 
beautiful thing in your earth-life, and yet that 
does not express it. 

Here everything is of the most exalted nature. 
When we arrived at this place we separated, each 
one going by himself. 

Everything tends to produce thought and medi- 
tation. There is a hushed silence over all. Even 
the birds sing their sweet songs ^'soft and low." 



220 THOUGHTS FROM THE INNEK LIFE. 

The solution of many of the problems of our 
earthly lives comes to us in this place. 

We spent days here, when we returned to the 
Temple of Thought. 

While there we gave to each other the result of 
our meditations, and all subjects about which we 
required explanations were taken up by the great 
teachers present and fully elucidated. — Doea. 



"1^^" 






CIRCLE XXI 



^TXj^ARNEST prayer is good, for it makes the 
cj^ soul receptive to the inflaences of a higher 
life. 

Prayer is aspiration, and aspiration is a rich 
blossom of the inner life, the holy desire of the 
heart, whose sweet perfume calls forth purer 
thoughts in other souls. 

I would not have you cease to pray, or desire, 
but would that you might earnestly follow the 
scriptural injunction to ''pray without ceasing." 

Dora. 



221 






CIRCLE XXII. 

CULTIVATE CHEERFULNESS. 

lO not let the trials and disappointments of 
^^ this life make you sad and gloomy, for each 
and all have their own heavy sorrows to endure, 
their own heavy burdens to bear. If these are 
patiently and cheerfully borne, they will, in the 
eternal world, blossom into the fair flowers of joy 
and peace, filling not alone your ov^n lives with 
sweet content, but enriching and giving strength 
to other souls also. 

Cultivate cheerfulness,— the sunshine of the soul. 

Brother, I am glad that you have endeavored to 
draw out, or attract, this poor spirit. We, too, 
will labor to assist that you may help him. 

You are all laborers in the vineyard of mortal 
existence. Toil on. Be not discouraged because 
the returns seem so small, for in the great harvest 
of the spirit you will find that they have been like 
the silent growth of grain. They will yield you 
great abundance. 

In calling these unfortunate spirits, and trying 
to aid and bring them into the light, you are lay- 
ing up for yourselves " treasures in heaven," for 
they will be stars in your crown in the day of rejoic- 
ing. — Dora. 

222 






CIRCLE XXIII. 



LIFE WITHOUT IMMORTALITY WORTHLESS. 

EF there were no immortality life would not be 
worth the living. The old, who have striven 
to live justly, have borne heavy burdens, cares, 
misfortunes, and losses. Wearj^ and worn with 
sorrow and disappointment at the end of the jour- 
ney, they will tell you that they are just beginning 
to understand what life is, and if they could com- 
mence it over again with the knowledge they had 
gained by experience, how differentl}^ they would 
live, and how willing they would be to die. And 
will all of those lessons and experiences be lost, 
walled up in oblivion, think you? We tell you, 
no ! On the contrar}^ every experience, every 
thought and aspiration of the soul, is gathered into 
the store-house of eternal life to be used as a help 
in the future growth and unfoldment of the spirit. 
You have planted a beautiful flower in the gar- 
den of your eternal home. In the coming future 
you will rejoice in its beauty, and inhale its sweet 
fragrance with gladness. Your hearts went out in 
kindly sympathy to the poor, broken soul whose 

, 223 



224 



THOUGHTS FROM THE INNER LIFE. 



life ended in darkness. It touched the inner man. 
The answer was a faint desire for freedom. He is 
now putting forth a feeble effort to break the 
bands which bind him, feebly struggling to over- 
come a perverted appetite ; but it takes so long to 
restore the harmony of such a soul. He is here. 
We would have you speak encouragingly to him. 
Do not be surprised or alarmed at any manifesta- 
tion that he may make. He must outwork and 
overcome this terrible pressure, and to do this he 
may be compelled to perform certain actions which 
may appear very unseemly to you. — Dora. 












L'BRARY OF 






4 



